Les Exilés
by cojack
Summary: C/7. Set in AU#1 established in fanfiction story "Alternatives." Picks up at the end of that story and explores the past and developing relationship between Chakotay and Seven of Nine and life aboard the Val Jean.
1. The Caretaker

DISCLAIMER: It's Paramount's galaxy.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: C/7. Set in AU#1 established in fanfiction story "Alternatives." Picks up at the end of that story and explores the past and developing relationship between Chakotay and Seven of Nine and life aboard the _Val Jean._

Well, when I got some time to write, this is what happened… I guess any non-C/7 story is going to have to wait. Hope you enjoy, and as always, please leave a review and let me know your thoughts…

#

LES EXILÉS

Stardate 57817.3 (AU#1)

# Chapter 1 – The Caretaker

…

Seven of Nine seemed to be studying Chakotay's eyes. Finally she said, "what are you suggesting Captain?" Not mechanically, as she sometimes sounded, but almost in a whisper. Chakotay tried to clear his thoughts. What was he suggesting? In recent months he was beginning to loose his faith. Their long journey was dragging on, and he was withdrawing from the crew. Many days, it was only Seven of Nine with whom he talked to. Many days, it was only Seven of Nine of whom he thought. If she did share feelings for him as he was now fully aware he held for her, what exactly should they do about it?

"I guess I'm saying…" Chakotay began, and then faltered.

Seven of Nine squeezed his hand back. "Chakotay," she said. It was perhaps the first time in years she had addressed him by his own name. He quite liked it.

Chakotay held his breath. His mind a tempest of thoughts.

"Needless to say," Seven finally said. "I am quite unfamiliar with these feelings and emotions, but I think I know what you are asking, and the answer is most definitely yes."

#

Ten years earlier… Stardate 48315.9

The green energy pulses from the Caretaker's array still shot towards the Ocampan homeworld. The Caretaker was dying, and now he was sealing the conduits that for years had transmitted the needed energy to the Ocampa cities below the surface. There was no more need for those conduits and he wanted to protect the Ocampa and their resources from the Kazon on the surface. _Voyager_ and the _Val Jean_ left orbit and approached in formation as two Kazon vessels also took position on the opposite side of the array. All four ships matched the array's velocity that orbited the distant sun of the Ocampan system.

B'Elanna monitored the instruments in front of her at the _Val Jean_'s tactical station. "The lead Kazon ship is hailing _Voyager_," she said to Chakotay who sat beside her at the pilot's station. The only other _Val Jean_ crewmember on the bridge was Seska at weapons control. Ayala, his first officer, had recently gone down to ensure the phasers were online for the possible conflict ahead.

"Split screen," Chakotay ordered, "I want to see both sides."

Immediately, a close shot of the Kazon Mage on his ship and Captain Janeway standing on the bridge of _Voyager_ with her hands on her hips replaced the image of the array on the _Val Jean_'s main view screen.

"_Have you come to investigate the entity's strange behavior too Captain_?" Javen, the Kazon Mage, asked. It was obvious that Javen was impressed by _Voyager_'s technology, but Chakotay knew Javen would not hesitate to test that technology in battle if it meant the chance of getting control of the array.

"_All we care about is getting home Javen_," Janeway responded. "_We're about to transport over to the array to see if we can arrange it_."

"_I'm afraid I cannot permit that_," Javen said, an implied threat left unsaid.

"_We have no dispute with you_."

"_I have a dispute with anyone who would challenge us_."

"_This is ridiculous_," Janeway replied and stepped forward until her image filled the view screen. "_We have no intention of challenging you_."

"_And I have no intention of letting anyone with your technological knowledge board the array_."

"_Javen, can we discuss this like two civilized_…"

Javen's transmission cut off in the middle of Janeway's response and soon after _Voyager_'s transmission ended as well.

"The Kazon ships are powering up their weapons," B'Elanna commented. And just as suddenly, blue streaks of particle beams emanated from the Kazon vessels and impacted _Voyager_'s shields. Soon enough, the Kazon weapons fire was also directed at the _Val Jean_. The inertial dampers on the small Maquis raider had been repaired too many times to remember and were only partially functioning. As a result, the weapons fire at such close range shook the vessel greatly. Chakotay cringed when he saw guidance control go offline.

"Return fire," Chakotay ordered. "Move away from _Voyager_ but stay close to the array."

The two Kazon vessels continued to fire on both _Voyager_ and the _Val Jean_. Both ships now returned fire and the Kazon ships moved off. They didn't stay away long, however, and kept looping back to make passes with particle beams blazing. The _Val Jean_ was just as maneuverable, and executed evasive maneuvers while targeting the Kazon. More often than not, the _Val Jean_ scored direct hits, but the Kazon shields continued to hold.

"_Janeway to Chakotay_," Janeway's voice sounded on an audio-only channel to the _Val Jean_. "_Tuvok and I are beaming to the array, can you hold off the Kazon_?"

"I think so Captain," Chakotay replied, his ship still receiving fire from the circling Kazon.

"_Good_," Janeway said simply and the transmission ended.

"We need to beam over to the array as well!" Seska said, irritation in her voice.

Chakotay had a fleeting thought of doing just that, but quickly dismissed it. In the past few days there had been nothing but cooperation and honesty between both crews, and his early doubts about Janeway and her intentions were gone. He trusted her and would do his part. "That won't be necessary," he finally said. "Let's concentrate on holding off the Kazon."

"Don't be naïve Chakotay," Seska responded. "Janeway will either leave us here or bring us back to the alpha quadrant in chains. We cannot trust them."

"Enough!" Chakotay ordered. "Continue targeting and firing on the Kazon vessels."

Seska frowned, but turned to renew the assault as Chakotay continued to execute elaborate evasive maneuvers.

The two Kazon vessels buzzed around the array firing at both alpha quadrant ships. They were small and just as maneuverable as the _Val Jean_, and so eventually began to concentrate their attacks on the more sluggish _Voyager_. Suddenly, the _Val Jean_ shook from a direct his on the shields.

"_Phasers off line_," Ayala called over the comm.

"Get them back!" Chakotay shouted and moved further from the array. Guidance control, the inertial dampers, and now phasers. Many systems were still needing repair from when they were struck by the polarized magnetic displacement wave that brought them here to the delta quadrant. Fortunately, the two Kazon ships now ignored the _Val Jean_ and continued to concentrate their attacks on _Voyager_. The Kazon ships were small, but also designed solely for war and were relentless. For the time being, _Voyager_'s shields appeared to be holding against the onslaught.

Ayala didn't respond, so Chakotay repeated. "Ayala, we need those phasers back online."

"Chell and I are working on it now sir," Ayala replied.

All Chakotay could do was wait. After a couple minutes of observing the battle from a distance, a new threat entered sensor range. It was a huge Kazon battleship, with significantly more firepower and shields. It ignored the _Val Jean_ and moved straight towards _Voyager_, all its weapons blazing.

"Their weapons array has been hit," Chakotay commented, watching the Kazon battleship pummel Voyager. All Kazon vessels were now completely engaged. "They're in trouble."

"Neither of us has enough fire power to stop that ship," B'Elanna replied.

With phasers still offline, there was nothing the _Val Jean_ could do to aid _Voyager_. Chakotay felt helpless, but then a thought occurred to him. Perhaps there was something he could do. "I'm setting a collision course," he began grimly, "but the guidance system is disabled. I'll have to pilot the ship manually. Get the crew ready to beam to _Voyager_, and drop shields for transport."

B'Elanna was about to protest, but understood Chakotay well enough to know when his mind was set. She might not agree with his decision, but didn't even consider disobeying his orders. Seska couldn't believe what she had just heard and stood open mouthed behind them both.

Chakotay was about to open a channel to _Voyager_ when a bright flash from the battle distracted him. B'Elanna noticed it too, and sat back down to study the sensors. "Heavy damage to _Voyager_'s engineering section. I think the Kazon battleship somehow penetrated the shields."

Suddenly there was another explosion. _Voyager_'s two nacelles detached and spun off in different directions. The ships were all in close proximity to the Caretaker's array, and one of the nacelles impacted the array and the other the Kazon battleship. The result was devastating. Secondary explosions began rippling down the length of both structures, tearing those apart as well.

"I'm reading an energy build up in the array," B'Elanna said. "I think it's a self-destruct sequence."

"What about _Voyager_?" Chakotay asked desperately.

B'Elanna's eyes widened as the implications of the sensor readings became apparent. "_Voyager_'s warp core is destabilizing," she finally replied. "Warp core breach within minutes."

"Let's get out of here!" Seska put in, "or we'll be destroyed in the explosion."

"No," Chakotay responded. "I'm moving in to transporter range."

"They won't care you playing the hero," Seska hissed. "We don't have room for _Voyager_'s crew."

"Ready transporters," Chakotay ordered, ignoring Seska's protests.

B'Elanna studied the sensor readouts. "Massive explosions throughout the ship's engineering and saucer sections," she said as they approached. "I'm reading no life signs below deck three. I'm going to have trouble getting a lock."

"Beam out who you can," Chakotay replied.

"Targeting twelve on the bridge. Beaming directly to our cargo bay."

Chakotay watched as the Kazon battleship, plasma spewing angrily out a gap in its hull caused by the impact of _Voyager_'s nacelle, veered and impacted the array in slow motion. The array's arm crumbled and another explosion ensued. "Captain Janeway and Tuvok are still on the array," he commented.

B'Elanna shook her head. "I can't penetrate the array's shielding. There's too much interference."

"Chakotay," Seska shouted, leaving her post to step up closer to Chakotay still sitting at the pilot's station. "A warp core breach is imminent. If we don't get out of here now, we won't be able to save ourselves!"

Chakotay sighed heavily and punched the _Val Jean_'s impulse engines to maximum, afraid that if he went to warp too close, it would trigger the explosion they were hoping to avoid. He swung around and headed away, positioning the array between _Voyager_ and the _Val Jean_. Before they were at a safe distance to go to warp, however, _Voyager_'s core detonated. The resulting explosion and shock wave tore apart the remains of the Kazon battleship and the Caretaker's array instantly. More explosions on both structures completed the destruction. The combined shock wave overtook the _Val Jean_ seconds later.

The _Val Jean_ shook wildly sending those on the bridge to the floor. Chakotay felt as if his arm may have broken with the impact and the ship's structure groaned under the stress. He knew his ship, however, and knew from the sounds they would survive. They had survived worse in the Badlands and in skirmishes with the Cardassians.

Seska stood up. There was a cut on her cheek and fury in her eyes. "You almost killed us to save those damn Star Fleet officers!" she spat. B'Elanna moved to stand between Seska and Chakotay.

Chakotay stood slowly, grimacing as pain shot through his arm and shoulder. He'd have to attend to his injuries shortly, but for now, he tried to ignore them. "Back off!" he shouted back. "This is a Maquis ship and I'm still the Captain. If you have a problem with that, there's no room for you here."

Seska glared at both Chakotay and B'Elanna, and then turned swiftly and exited the bridge.

Chakotay returned to the pilot's station and sat heavily in the chair. Warp engines were one system miraculously still online, so he set a course vaguely in the direction of the alpha quadrant and engaged warp drive. He wanted to get some distance away from the destruction and possibility of additional Kazon vessels arriving on the scene. He opened a comm channel and said, "Ayala, forget phasers for now and go to the cargo bay. We have some _Voyager_ survivors. Tend to the wounded and figure out where they're going to stay."

"_Acknowledged_."

He turned to B'Elanna. "Go to the engine room. Make sure we can sustain warp until we get well clear of this system. I'll start looking for a place to hole up and make repairs."

B'Elanna nodded without saying a word and left, leaving Chakotay alone on the bridge. His arm ached, and he knew he would have to attend to that soon. For now, he wanted to be alone. He looked back at the door where both Seska and B'Elanna had left just moments before and frowned. He had once been romantically involved with Seska, but now couldn't fathom what it was that had attracted him to her in the first place. She was reckless and volatile. She would undoubtedly come to his quarters later to make up, but Chakotay shook his head. He had had enough. There was no room on the _Val Jean_ for that kind of relationship. Not anymore.

Returning his attention to the main view screen he looked out at the unfamiliar stars of the delta quadrant. 75,000 light years from his home.

_Voyager_ was destroyed, and with it, over a hundred Star Fleet officers, including Captain Janeway. The Caretaker's array was destroyed, and with that, their only obvious way home within his lifetime. The _Val Jean_ was a single small ship surrounded by hostile and unknown alien species.

What the hell were they going to do now?


	2. Scorpion

# Chapter 2 – Scorpion

Three years later (and seven years before events in "Alternatives")… Stardate 50984.3

_There are currently 413 billion drones on 123 worlds, 2137 cubes and 10486 spheres distributed throughout both the Core and Realm. Two worlds are in the process of being assimilated. Forty-six ships of various species are tracked for possible contact and assimilation. Another 256 ships are also being tracked but are to be avoided._

_A clarity of purpose. Goal of Galaxy-wide consciousness estimated at 22% complete._

_A new contact is detected within the Realm. Dispatch cubes 212, 1319, 1441, 1458, 1703, and 2101 to investigate._

_It is a single alien ship. Sensors indicate its origin and design as Species 8472. The bioship has detected the Six._

A sense of anxiety within the Collective stirs for the first time. Memories of the recent encounters with Species 8472 are fresh. Thirteen in all during the past 24 hours. Alternative courses of action that might be effective against these strange bioships has proved elusive. Nothing in all the knowledge assimilated by the Collective suggests a viable defense.

_Should we start assimilating new species to acquire those possible alternatives? _

_Are there alternatives? _

_Current calculations estimate only a 6.2% probability of obtaining unique biological or technological assets in the available time if the Collective concentrates on this task solely._

The Six cubes of the Realm stop in unison before the invader from the different spatial domain. At this point, retreat is not possible for the Species 8472 bioships have greater speed in normal space, warp space, and trans-warp space. The creatures of that domain are impressive and would have added greatly to the biological and technological diversity of the whole.

_Imagine the potential. The liberation of the entire Galaxy might have been possible. It had been worth the risk. Surely it had been worth the risk. As it was, the creatures and their technology cannot be assimilated and somehow corrupt the drones they encounter. _

_Position all cubes in immediate vicinity. _

A few light years away, another group of eleven cubes stand ready and waits.

_To what end? _

In sensor range throughout the periphery of the Realm's space, other hostile ships hover, and of course a steady stream of new ships are appearing through the tear between domains as monitored by Sphere 662. Attempts to repair that tear have been futile. The Core is currently not threatened or affected, but that is not expected to last much longer.

The Six speak as the rest of the Collective watch. The outcome of this latest encounter predicted with a 99.2% probability.

"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile. Your way of life…"

Suddenly the small ship emits what looks like an energy discharge. What appeared to be lightning bolts through a planetary atmosphere emanate from the bioship and dance between the cubes. While sensors are still online, the Six, and the entire Collective through them, analyze what they can. It encompasses the entirety of the Hive Mind's thought. The energy discharge simultaneously envelopes the Six.

There is a sense of surprise within the Hive Mind, although this has happened before and was expected. This is the fourteenth such encounter. It is as when a finger is suddenly stunned by an electrical shock and although you knew it was going to happen, it is a shock. Despite the knowledge. Despite the certainty, it is still surprising.

The magnitude of the assault is staggering.

The discharge cut through the shields of each cube as if they don't exist. All systems on the Six are affected at once and mere moments after contact with the energy field. Just as suddenly the Six are cut off from the Whole, a hand severed from the body by the swift flash of a blade. Only a ghost of a sensation exists of their prior presence just seconds before.

The Eleven watch in growing horror. Apprehension, and fear. Strange emotions for the Hive Mind. The Collective, as a whole, feels it. It is so strong and palatable, the Whole's attention is still focused solely on this latest encounter.

Hundreds of billions of Borg drones, on worlds and cubes throughout the Realm and the Core, are aware, and with them of course, the Hive Mind as well.

Sphere 662 monitors as more of these small bioships continued to stream through the tear. Cubes 1123, 1156, 1436, 1501, and a dozen others now detect bioships entering their sectors in which they patrol. The Six are already lost. Projections indicate encounters of this sort will increase with a 99.8% certainty of the Borg's utter destruction within 87 days, an 87.2% probability of destruction within 72 days, a 53.4% probability...

The Eleven watch as the discharge grows and reaches culmination. And then the Six are gone. Fragments scatter in all directions.

Of all the cubes in proximity to bioships, the Eleven are the closest. The Eleven move off in unison, away, but the single small bioship that has just destroyed the Six has already seen them.

_Analyzing all sensor data from this latest encounter, but the nature of the energy discharge still alludes us. How is that even possible? _

_We are the Borg. _

_Resistance is futile._

A sense of dread envelop the Eleven and the greater Collective, but the Species 8472 bioship has stopped its pursuit and instead is examining a bit of wreckage from the Six. Species 8472 is being cautious in these initial encounters as they mass more bioships in Borg space. There is an 82% probability the greater war will commence within the next 7 days. This decreases to a 76% probability if an attempt is made to avoid all future contact with Species 8472 bioships.

_What offensive capability does the Collective possess? What defense does do we have against these bioships of Species 8472? The worlds of the Realm are threatened and presumed lost, but what of the Core? _

_Sphere 497 is monitoring a bioship entering a system of the Realm heading towards a planetary settlement there. A sphere building shipyard. 100 million drones. _

For the first time, the Hive Mind questions and wonders about the wisdom of the recent incursion into Fluidic Space.

_What is that feeling? Regret?_

_There are no other alternatives. Diversity is needed. _

A decision is made.

Borg ships open trans-warp conduits throughout the Galaxy and beyond to nearby satellite galaxies. Cubes will travel singly.

_Abandon the assimilation of Species 8473 and 8475. _

_From this point on, all contact with the bioships are to be avoided until a defense, or weapon, can be found._

_Assimilate all unknown species. _

_Assimilate while we can._

#

Cube 1436 is damaged. It has been investigating an alpha quadrant signature located on the surface of a planet in periphery system A-23-7. Had a species of the alpha quadrant developed trans-warp capability? With the memory available to the drones of the cube, the signal was unexpected, although contact with the Core is now fragmented. It's possible we don't remember. It was a question that had needed an answer.

The bioship had been waiting for them, but the antimatter detonation initiated by the cube between the vessels had stopped the attack. Recent encounters confirm this tactic was working to slow the advance of the bioships, but in 76% of the cases, the bioship recovered. This particular bioship appears to now be in hibernation. There are five to nine hours to escape.

It is hard to tell if the explosion damaged the bioship vessel. On the other hand, 58% of the cube is destroyed and 68% of the drones are not functioning and presumed terminated.

_Trans-warp propulsion is down. _

_Warp propulsion is down. _

_Impulse drive is at 34%. _

_There is only a tenuous link to the Collective available through trans-warp space, but reports from the assimilation of Species 25342, an otherwise undistinguished species from a small planet orbiting a red dwarf star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, seems encouraging. _

_Is this the weapon we have been waiting for?_

_Maximum impulse away from the bioship and send drones to repair warp drive. Enter orbit of the nearby planet and hide behind its mass. Launch all spheres to return to the Realm and the Collective._

_Sensors scan quadrant towards system's sun. A second bioship is in system. Sensors are recording an energy build up in the bioship. _

_Discharge eminent!_

#

Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero-One gasped and staggered against the wall of the corridor.

All was quiet. Silence.

What was the effect of the second Species 8472 bioship's energy discharge on Cube 1436? She closed her eyes to listen, but the voices were gone. An echo of those voices, however, still lingered. Something to do with the warp drive. She tentatively started down the corridor again, making her way to the cube's warp core, to help with repairs. The certainty of purpose, however, was not there. She hesitated.

She was alone in the corridor with no other Borg drones in sight. Borg alcoves lined both walls, but all the units were empty. The ship around her suddenly shook violently but she grabbed hold of a nearby alcove and kept her footing. The green lights of the energy distribution nodes above her head pulsed erratically. Where were the other drones?

Force fields activated around her. There had obviously been another hull breach, this time much closer to her location in the cube. She could easily walk through these force fields if she chose and continue to the warp core, but something kept her planted where she was.

Where were the voices?

"We are the Borg," Seven of Nine Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero-One whispered, but no other minds joined her in this affirmation.

She was Borg, but other images danced in her mind, as if requesting recognition. They were both alien and familiar. Order and purpose were slipping away and chaos began to build to fill the void. She felt a growing anxiety for the first time in her memory.

That was not quite true, she had felt these feelings before. Long ago. She closed her eyes, and the corridor shook again. Suddenly, the wall collapsed around her.

Pain and bright lights.

A cacophony of crashes and the sound of distant explosions. All of this, however, was drowned out by the silence of the voices.

She opened her eyes to now see the opposite wall missing and the limb of a planet before her. We were trying to get behind the planet to hide. The planet was familiar to this drone. Again, from memories long ago.

Only a small portion of the cube remained intact around her, and this fragment was entering the atmosphere. Red and orange flames glowed about the still active force field. Despite the wall and corridor's destruction, the green lights of the energy distribution nodes still pulsated. Bits of the cube were being torn away. They flashed brightly and were incinerated in the fireball around her.

More flashes and more shaking, but most of all, continued silence.

She was alone. Small. Insignificant. One drone. One.

The gap in the floor beneath her opened up. It would be easy to let go and slip into the abyss. Something, however, made her continue to hold on. She wanted to make sense of the commotion, bring order again.

Suddenly, a piece of the wall came loose and swung down, hitting her on the side of the head.

She fell through the gap into a tangle of metal below. The noise outside was now deafening, and the structure on all sides of her shook violently. There was nothing she could do to stop the inevitable crash onto the planet's surface. She wrapped her hands around her knees to protect her body as best she could.

Alone. One. One. One.

#

Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero-One opened her eyes slowly. She was still encased in the portion of the Borg cube which had entered the planet's atmosphere. The voices were still absent. Outside, however, there was bird song, and it occurred to her that somehow she had survived the descent through the atmosphere and impact on the planet's surface.

Amazingly, the energy conduits still pulsed their green glow around her, and she detected the faint glimmer of a force field in place that had undoubtedly held the cube fragment together. Perhaps the inertial dampers were still active in this corridor as well and cushioned her from the extreme accelerations during the impact. She tested each of her limbs to ensure nothing was broken, and then stood up shakily. Whatever injuries she had sustained had already been repaired by nanoprobes.

With her head now out of the hole in what used to be a cube corridor, she got a better look at her surroundings. She could see trees through a gap in the structure that penetrated and brushed up against the force field. Outside there was daylight and she could just see a bit of blue sky above. She decided to make her way out of the structure through that gap.

The bird song increased in volume as she approached the gap. Upon emerging from the cube fragment she realized this exit was at a great height about level with the forest canopy. Birds darted to and fro from tree to tree. Around her she could see virgin forest, with an angry gash cut through the trees, evidently from when the fragment skipped along the surface before coming to rest. The bulk of the fragment lay beneath her. Smoke rose in the distance back along the track, possibly from other fragments that had impacted and started fires, and beyond that were snow covered peaks.

Something deep inside her stirred. It wasn't the voices. The Collective was still silent. More a feeble voice that spoke to her and urged her to linger. To examine this view more closely. She scanned the horizon again and noticed other features of the topography and sky.

Emotions, thoughts, feelings swirled through her head. It was difficult. No more voices, but a tempest within the singular individual thought that was her, alone.

Above her high cirrus clouds moved lazily along, and a soft breeze stirred that brushed against her cheek.

It was… beautiful.


	3. The Raven

# Chapter 3 – The Raven

One year later (and six years before events in "Alternatives")… Stardate 51899.9

Chakotay and Seska materialized on an uninhabited planet in the delta quadrant. Uninhabited, that is, by any sentient life. The world itself was teaming with life, although their particular landing site was on a stone covered ridge that bordered a deep canyon river valley. Before them stood the ruins of a vessel, part of it perched precariously over the limb of the canyon wall, and between them was a boulder field maze with deep crevices. The two of them were standing on a flat boulder that provided a good view of the crash site.

Seska scanned the ruins with a Star Fleet tricorder, one of the few they obtained when they beamed over the twelve people from _Voyager_ four years earlier. She nodded her head. "Definitely from the alpha quadrant," she confirmed, "as we suspected. It appears to be decades older than the Borg cube wreckage we also imaged from orbit."

"How far away are we from the Borg wreckage?" Chakotay asked.

Seska motioned behind where they stood, away from the canyon. "About a hundred kilometers that way to the nearest site," she responded. "The majority of the debris, however, is over a thousand kilometers away, and we didn't detect any Borg energy signatures or life signs."

Chakotay stepped forward onto what appeared to be another solid boulder, but the rock began to crumble under his weight. Seska reached out and grabbed his arm and pulled him back quickly to the safety of their original beam-in site. She smiled and shook her head. "Where would you be without me Chakotay?"

"Thanks," Chakotay replied and examined their path to the wreckage of the vessel more closely. They could choose to walk on top of the boulders, or perhaps within the crevices. The latter option, however, would be difficult due to the many dead ends evident in the field. "I suppose we're going to have to be careful and stick to the rocks. Many of these formations are severely fractured and unstable."

"You think?" Seska said playfully.

Chakotay laughed. Fortunately, Chakotay and Seska's relationship had settled into a manageable friendship. On a small ship such as the _Val Jean_, the tensions that might have ensued if the once stormy romance between the two had continued would have been untenable, particularly with their slow progress towards home. There were instances when they did make giant leaps, like the time they had acquired the quantum slipstream drive from an unnamed delta quadrant species. Their Maquis tactics had come in handy, and Chakotay had to give Seska credit for orchestrating much of the ruse that enabled them to obtain the drive. The interface with the _Val Jean_ had proved difficult, and the drive gave out after traversing just a little over 10,000 light years.

Of course, the two of them still butted heads often. Seska saw no issue in establishing alliances with species of questionable ethics if she thought it would benefit the _Val Jean_ and was vocally critical of Chakotay's insistence on keeping the moral high ground. Despite this, when push came to shove, she could be depended on and was well liked amongst the crew.

Seska glanced at Chakotay and pointed off to the right. "There appears to be more stable ground if we approach from that direction."

Chakotay nodded and they stepped off onto the next rock. Chakotay wasn't interested romantically in Seska, but her anger at being rejected was muted by the fact that he didn't seem to be interested in forming a romantic bond with any of the other women on the _Val Jean_'s crew. Seska had settled into the role of trying to serve Chakotay and the crew as best she could and was pleased that Chakotay kept her in his "inner circle" of sorts. She couldn't imagine replacing Ayala as first officer. Chakotay and Ayala had a bond forged during the early days of the Maquis, before the time she had joined the crew of the _Val Jean_, and it was clear Chakotay trusted him implicitly with anything and everything. Ayala didn't seem happy with command, but accepted his role much as everyone else did. B'Elanna might also rank before her in Chakotay's eyes, but at least she knew Chakotay trusted her more than Tom Paris, the final member of the _Val Jean_'s senior staff. Why Chakotay would seek his counsel and befriend him was beyond her, although she suspected it was related to a debt he owed Tom for something that happened on the Ocampan homeworld.

They made their way gingerly across the boulder field towards the ship, Seska consulting the tricorder the whole way. As they neared the ship, she stopped and looked more intently at the readouts.

"What's the matter?" Chakotay asked, recognizing the growing concern in Seska.

"Funny," she replied. "I can't seem to get a clear scan of the interior of the ship. There's what might be an energy signature."

"Force field?"

"I'm not sure. There simply appears to be a gap in the data."

Chakotay drew his phaser and motioned for them to continue. He stepped onto the next boulder which was stable. Seska followed, but was preoccupied with the tricorder sensor readings. Her foot fell closer to the edge of the boulder and a portion cleaved off and fell into the crevice below. Instinctively, Chakotay reached forward to catch her and was swept up into the fall.

At the bottom of the crevice was a litter of rocks. Both of them came down hard and were knocked unconscious. The _Val Jean_, in its current orbit, wouldn't return for another 90 minutes…

#

Chakotay awoke laying on a soft cushion. The lights were dim, but he was obviously no longer outside. His leg throbbed and he moved to get up.

"Do not attempt to move," a female voice told him firmly. "You have been damaged."

Chakotay turned his head to face the voice. He could only make out the outline of her figure. She appeared to be hovering over another bed nearby, probably attending to Seska.

"My companion," Chakotay said. "How is she?"

"Some broken bones and a concussion. I am treating the injuries now and am almost finished."

Chakotay watched as she appeared to be splinting Seska's leg. As he watched, he noticed there was something different about the stranger's head, as if something was protruding from one of her eyes. The lighting, however, made it difficult for him to see. "Who are you?" he eventually asked.

At first, it appeared as if she didn't hear, or was at least ignoring his question. But presently she completed her task, turned, and stepped up closer to Chakotay. Chakotay had never met a Borg drone before, but knew instantly who and what she was. His eyes widened a bit and he involuntarily recoiled away from her.

"I am Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero-One," she responded crisply, ignoring his initial reaction to her. "You may call me Seven of Nine. There is no need for you to fear me. I am no longer connected to the Collective and have no intention of assimilating you."

Chakotay wondered how Seven of Nine had found them and how she had gotten here in the first place. As if anticipating his questions, she continued, "I survived the crash of a Borg cube on this planet about a year ago. To my knowledge, I was the only survivor." She looked about the room and added, "In fact, I have survived two crashes on this planet. You are on the vessel _Raven_. I was aboard over twenty years ago when it was forced down by a Borg cube and was subsequently assimilated."

Chakotay also looked about the room. He judged it to be the main living quarters on a smaller vessel, undoubtedly the one he and Seska had come to investigate.

"My parent's quarters," Seven of Nine stated. "I brought you both here after you fell. I was monitoring your progress as you approached. You were unaware of my presence because I have shielded much of the interior with a dampening field."

"Why?"

"If the Borg were to return to survey the cube's crash site, I did not want to alert them of my presence on the planet's surface. I've transported all I need here using _Raven_'s transporter system."

Chakotay frowned. That seemed odd, a drone not wishing to reconnect to the Collective. He moved to get up on his elbows.

"What is your designation?" Seven of Nine then asked.

"Chakotay," he replied. "My ship, the _Val Jean_, is in orbit about this planet."

"I know," she said. "I have been monitoring you since you entered orbit. Chakotay, as I said, you have been damaged and shouldn't move."

"Just help me sit up," Chakotay replied.

Seven of Nine hesitated for a moment, but then reached forward and lifted him into a sitting position. Pain shot through his back and right leg. After he was up, Seven moved back a step, but stayed close. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"We detected your ship from orbit," Chakotay replied. "We suspected it was from the alpha quadrant, and came down to investigate. Our hope was that we would discover why it was so far from home and perhaps use whatever had brought it here to get us back home ourselves."

Seven of Nine considered the information. "You are not here by choice?"

"No. Four years ago we were brought here by an entity known as the Caretaker."

"The sporocystian lifeform that occupied an array in orbit about the homeworld of Species 212?" Seven of Nine asked, and then upon seeing Chakotay's reaction, added, "the Ocampa."

"Yes."

Seven of Nine nodded. "The Borg attempted to assimilate this Caretaker, but it proved impossible." She then stepped forward and examined the bandage around Chakotay's right leg. "Good, I suspected your wound might start bleeding again if you sat up, but it appears to be fine."

"How did _Raven_ get here to the alpha quadrant?"

"With a Borg cube, undetected within the cube's trans-warp field bubble," she replied. Seven of Nine stood examining Chakotay, and he began to feel uncomfortable under her intense gaze. "The _Val Jean_, a Maquis raider, did you name it?"

"You know of the Maquis?"

"The knowledge was gained by the Borg when it assimilated a Cardassian frigate about a week before my cube was destroyed. I have salvaged some Borg data nodes from the cube. Your ship, is it named for the protagonist in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables?"

"Did the Borg assimilate Earth literature as well?"

"Undoubtedly, but that information would not be stored within the Hive Mind consciousness. It would be deemed irrelevant. I imagine it is stored in a Borg datanode somewhere, but in fact, Hugo's novel is contained in the database of the _Raven_ and that is where I accessed it. Did you name your ship because you see a parallel between yourself and that of Jean Valjean?"

Chakotay smiled. "Valjean was a force of good in a world that could only see him as an ex-convict. I wasn't thinking of myself, but the plight of the Maquis in general when I named her."

"It is curious to me that a Maquis raider would have a Cardassian on board as one of its crew," Seven of Nine commented.

"What do you mean?"

Seven of Nine gestured to Seska, still unconscious on the neighboring bed.

"Seska is Bajoran, not Cardassian," Chakotay said.

"Superficially, her outward appearance is that of a Bajoran." Seven of Nine replied, "but I can assure you she is Cardassian." She then turned to pick up an instrument that was on a small table beside Chakotay's bed. It was the Star Fleet tricorder. "Even this crude instrument can show you that if you conducted the correct scan." Seven of Nine proceeded to scan Seska with the tricorder and then showed Chakotay the results.

Chakotay was thunderstruck. He had never considered verifying Seska's identity, or that of anyone else on the _Val Jean_'s crew for that matter. Had he learned nothing when it was revealed that Tuvok had been a Federation spy? But Seska? She was one of his most loyal crew members. She had saved his life a number of times, and had been instrumental in several of the _Val Jean_'s successes, both during their time with the Maquis and now in the delta quadrant.

"It is clear you were not aware of this information," Seven of Nine commented. "Does your opinion of her change now that you know of her true origin?"

That was an understatement. Before Chakotay could respond, Seven of Nine continued.

"Perhaps she is an outcast, just as you are, and was just as incensed by the treaty between the Federation and Cardassia. I was born a human, like yourself, and was then assimilated by the Borg. What is your opinion of me?"

"I don't know," Chakotay replied honestly. "I'm still getting to know you."

"Motivations and intentions can be best gauged by someone's actions. I have repaired your injuries and saved your life. My intention is to win your trust such that you will agree to allow me aboard the _Val Jean_."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I will be a valuable addition to your crew and can assist greatly in getting us back to the alpha quadrant."

"Why would you want to come with us?"

"I have been exiled on this planet for the past year and the _Val Jean_ is the first vessel to enter orbit. The fact that many of the individuals aboard are of my species is remarkable. I have been alone long enough."

He studied Seven of Nine and he detected something more. The corners of Seven of Nine's mouth turned up slightly, as if she was amused by some thought. "What else are you thinking?" he asked.

"Nothing," Seven of Nine replied, almost embarrassed, if that was even possible to detect on a Borg drone. "It is irrelevant."

For a brief moment, Chakotay glimpsed something more to this Borg drone before him. But not a drone, for that implied thoughtless action. Something human. Was it possible that in the year since her link to the Collective was severed, she had regained a bit of her humanity? Chakotay waited, and turned his palms up in a gesture of anticipation.

"It is difficult, this individuality," she stated. "The mind is so often in chaos, but I suppose part of being human is to endure these fleeting thoughts that occur from time to time."

"I still don't understand," Chakotay said.

Seven of Nine gestured to the two of them and Seska. "You, this Cardassian female, me. I was thinking Les Misérables might be an applicable description. But perhaps, instead, a better description of us would be Les Exilés."

#

Seska breathed in heavily and exhaled. She opened her eyes to see Chakotay leaning over her. "Chakotay," she breathed. "Where are we?"

"Let me ask you this first," Chakotay replied. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

Seska looked about the room. For the first time she noticed someone else. A Borg drone that observed impassively.

"Chakotay?" she said in alarm, now fully awake.

Chakotay glanced back and said, "Seska, meet Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero-One. She is not what she appears and is no longer a drone connected to the Collective. You are not what you appear either, are you?"

Seska closed her eyes and sighed. It was clear she understood exactly what Chakotay was talking about. "Of course I was never going to tell you," she finally said. "At first, it was my assignment, but now, what good would it serve?"

"So you are a Cardassian operative whose mission was to infiltrate my crew?"

"Yes, yes. And learn all your precious Maquis secrets." There was sarcasm in Seska's voice.

"And so it's been a big lie for you? All of it."

Seska opened her eyes and appeared genuinely hurt. "No," she protested. "I've been doing my best to help you and the _Val Jean_. I…" She stopped and looked away. "If you found out I was Cardassian, if the _crew_ knew I was Cardassian, what do you think would happen? What good would I be?"

Chakotay ignored the question. "With this deception, for years now, how can we ever trust you?"

At this point, Seven of Nine stepped forward. "Chakotay, the Borg have threatened Earth and the whole of the alpha quadrant. I have aided in the assimilation of thousands. Will you be able to trust me given my Borg past?"

"That's different," Chakotay responded, but also saw the logic in Seven of Nine's statement. He should judge both Seska and Seven of Nine by their recent actions and not by their past associations. Seska had proved herself time and time again. That of course should count for something. But could he forgive her?

"Nothing has changed for me," Seska put in. "I will continue to serve by providing my honest opinion despite your disapproval. Cardassia Prime and the Federation, what significance are they to me now? To us here? We can still keep this to ourselves."

Seven of Nine shook her head. "No," she stated. "A secret like this could be damaging to the collective if it ever came out."

"We are not the Borg," Seska hissed.

"Nor am I," Seven of Nine replied. "My choice of words was unfortunate."

"What are you suggesting?" Chakotay asked.

"I believe, in the end, you will see the wisdom of having me as part of your crew. I also believe you will not abandon Seska and let her return as well. There will be resistance to my presence given animosity towards the Borg. By revealing Seska's Cardassian past, it might facilitate my introduction by dividing the crew's suspicions and rage between a Cardassian spy and a Borg drone."

"Wonderful," Seska sighed. "They will hate me, and never trust me again."

"They will hate and fear me as well," Seven of Nine commented, "but trust will build with consistency and time." She turned to Chakotay. "With your full support of both of us, the two issues will be defused more rapidly than individually."

Chakotay shook his head. Seven of Nine sounded confident, but he wasn't so sure. She was right about one thing. Even now he found his anger at Seska diminishing. They had over four years together, oftentimes in life or death situations. Perhaps he could forgive her after all. And now as he looked at Seven of Nine, he saw more than a mindless Borg drone, but rather, an intelligent and insightful individual.

"Valjean was persecuted and hated by Javert who couldn't see beyond Valjean's past and the person he could and did become," Seven of Nine commented.

"Who the hell is Javert?" Seska questioned, unsure of the meaning of this turn in the conversation.

Chakotay, however, smiled. Seven of Nine was indeed insightful. It appeared as if his little ship was going to get just a bit more crowded…

#

Author's Note: Thanks to scifiromance, The Cheshire Cheese, and Alaster Boneman for the reviews of the first chapter. I had the next two chapters ready to go, so decided to post both of them tonight. There are only twelve from Voyager who survived, and I've only identified Tom Paris as one of those twelve so far. I'll try to fit in Harry Kim and Samantha Wildman as well… Any other ideas?

I have the main story arc and a secondary story arc (involves Chakotay, Seven of Nine, and Seska) planned out and it's going to be about the same length as the other "Alternatives" stories. One more "prequel" chapter after this one related to when Seven of Nine becomes first officer, and then six or so others that describe what happens after the events in "Alternatives".

Hope to get more chapters written and posted soon. Please review and let me know your thoughts.


	4. Night

# Chapter 4 – Night

Three years later (and three years before events in "Alternatives")… Stardate 54949.4

Tom Paris gazed out at the blackness, and then leaned back in the pilot's chair. Although there was no sensation of speed, he knew they were traveling at warp eight point five. The dark nebula in which they traversed blocked most of the electromagnetic spectrum, but using the _Val Jean_'s sensors, they were able to detect the center of the Galaxy and other X-ray and gamma ray hot spots to monitor their trajectory. With no large mass concentrations nearby, however, there was only minor perturbations and little need to alter course.

Only eighty seven more days until they came out the other side.

"Another day in paradise," Tom remarked, an attempt to break the silence.

B'Elanna was sitting next to him at tactical and frowned. "We should have gone around this god-forsaken void. Every day is the same and it's driving me crazy. I don't care if it would have added years to our journey."

Tom smiled and gave B'Elanna a wink. "Oh, it hasn't been that bad. A lot shorter than we originally thought after we found that vortex. Besides, Chakotay finally allowed me to convert a portion of the cargo bay into a holodeck and we've had some fun."

Tom's idea of fun was a bit different than B'Elanna's, but she had to admit she was growing fond of his company. She looked up from the sensors to give Tom a smirk. Funny how things had turned out. At first, she couldn't stand him. He was an ex-Maquis who had only been on _Voyager_ to track them down. For whatever reason, Chakotay had befriended him anyway and her own opinions changed gradually as well. She shook her head and returned to gazing at the sensors. His resolve in pursuing her was finally paying off. There's only so much time you can spend optimizing the warp engines, and his interest and persistence despite her initial resistance had been charming. In a strange sort of way, this void had brought them together.

Seska entered the _Val Jean_'s small bridge. "I'm finished in the galley. You two need anything?" she asked and looked back and forth between Tom and B'Elanna before finally settling on Tom. B'Elanna ignored her completely and pretended to be engaged studying the sensors.

Tom turned to face Seska. "I think we're fine, but it's been pretty exciting up here. About an hour ago I thought about making a half degree course change."

Seska widened her eyes in mock surprise and glanced briefly at B'Elanna back. "OK. I'm heading down to engineering to help out Chell and Rollins."

When Seska was out of earshot, B'Elanna whispered under her breath, "whoever you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

B'Elanna turned to Tom, her eyes blazing. "I trusted her! I believed her story about the Cardassian blood transfusion that changed her bio readings. She fooled us all. She was going to betray us."

Tom had heard it all before. He wasn't entirely sure he trusted Seska fully himself, but was willing to give her a chance. B'Elanna, however, was unwilling to budge. That was fine with Tom, but he knew it ate at her. "You just won't forgive her, will you?" Tom replied. "People do change. Look at me, for example."

"I don't know, it seems to me you've always been an arrogant ass" B'Elanna said and turned to Tom to gauge his reaction. He smiled, but didn't offer a retort. B'Elanna sighed. "Listen, you may have been an idiot, agreeing to help Star Fleet, but you never lied to us."

Tom ignored her. "It's been three years and she's been trying."

"What do I care? What do _you_ care? She's not my friend."

"She wants to be again."

B'Elanna shook her head. "We don't even know her real name. Seska is a Bajorian name, not Cardassian. What is her real name Tom? She's still deceiving us."

Tom thought about letting it go. He was hoping, however, that by resolving B'Elanna and Seska's differences, it would enable B'Elanna some measure of peace. "She told Chell she grew up on Bajor and chose to call herself Seska when she was a girl. Maybe she wants to hold onto that memory."

B'Elanna didn't reply but stewed in her anger. It was like a comfortable blanket that she wrapped herself in. When Seska had confessed three years ago, B'Elanna had been ready to kill her right there. To hell with Chakotay and the rest. In fact, she had been ready to kill Chakotay for bringing that Borg drone aboard. B'Elanna frowned again and the anger she felt threatened to dissipate.

"What?" Tom said, interrupting her thoughts.

B'Elanna shrugged her shoulders. "What do you mean?"

"You're thinking about something."

B'Elanna sighed again. Tom was getting better at reading her, she thought. Chakotay, of course, had been right about Seven of Nine. The drone respected B'Elanna's space and had proved to be quite efficient. Months ago, when they had that run in with the Malon, it was Seven of Nine who had devised a protection against the theta radiation. In fact, it was Seven of Nine and Rollins who eventually extracted the information from the Malon on how to find that spatial vortex. The vortex had cut over a year from their journey through this void.

As if on cue, and before B'Elanna could answer Tom, Seven of Nine stepped onto the bridge. "Do you two need any assistance?" she asked.

"This is getting tedious," B'Elanna grunted. "We're in a void. Nothing has changed and nothing is going to happen."

Seven of Nine hesitated, but then turned to face Tom. "Mister Paris, when you are free, I would like to help you enhance the holomatrix you created."

"Interested in escaping to the holodeck yourself?" B'Elanna teased.

"I haven't given it much thought," Seven of Nine confessed. "It occurred to me, however, that since we have another eighty seven days left in this void, it would be beneficial to the crew's morale to improve the holodeck's performance. I believe I can use some of the spare Borg data nodes to increase the memory capacity, and with a few more holo-transmitters, we can increase the grid size."

"Oh great. We will all be assimilated," B'Elanna groaned.

"The Captain has approved my request to help Mister Paris."

Tom glanced at B'Elanna. "How about in another hour we meet in the cargo bay when my shift is through here."

"That would be adequate," Seven of Nine responded. "There is something else I wish to attend to and then I will see you in sixty minutes."

Seven of Nine stepped out of the bridge and back into the _Val Jean_'s main corridor. The corridor formed an elongated loop about the upper deck with the bridge at one end and the galley at the other. Between and on either side were four of the crew quarters for the senior staff. Captain Chakotay, First Officer Ayala, B'Elanna Torres, and Samantha Wildman, were located up here. Samantha was not on the senior staff, but was allowed the extra space to accommodate her young daughter. The middle deck was larger and contained the rest of the crew quarters with most of those rooms doubled up. For a ship designed for sixteen, the _Val Jean_ was filled past capacity with thirty of them in all. Seven of Nine corrected herself, thirty-one as of a few days ago. The lower deck held weapons control, engineering, and the relatively large cargo bay. It was there where Seven of Nine resided, for it was the only place on the small ship that could accommodate both the size and power requirements of her Borg alcove. Chakotay hadn't been too happy about that, her quarters being a corner of the cargo bay, but Seven of Nine assured him that she was fine with the arrangements.

Seven of Nine stepped briskly down the corridor headed to the shaft in the center that connected the decks. The _Val Jean_ was too small to have a lift. As she rounded a corner, a small figure jumped out in front of her. She held what looked like a phaser in her hands, but on closer examination it was simply a toy facsimile.

"Give me all your money," the young girl said.

The girl was Samantha's offspring, a half human, half Ktarian hybrid. She had been born shortly after the destruction of the Caretaker's array. Samantha was a Star Fleet officer who had been rescued from _Voyager_ before it was destroyed. Apparently, unbeknownst to all, she had been pregnant.

"Naomi Wildman," Seven of Nine scolded, crossing her arms. "What are you doing?"

"I'm playing Maquis," Naomi replied innocently. She looked at the toy phaser she was still pointing towards Seven of Nine and then lowered it carefully.

"I don't believe the Maquis were in the habit of stealing other people's possessions. Who provided you the parameters of this game?"

"Mom told me the Maquis are like Robin Hood and his band of thieves. Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor."

Seven of Nine shook her head. "The Maquis fought against the injustice of an ill-conceived treaty between the United Federation of Planets and the Cardassian Union. Although there is perhaps a dubious analogy with Robin Hood, I do not think the notion that the Maquis resorted to thievery is accurate."

Naomi looked up to Seven of Nine and continued to smile. Being half Ktarian, Naomi was significantly more developed than a human child would be, but she was still only seven years old. Seven of Nine decided a debate about the appropriateness of the current comparison was senseless. "Naomi Wildman, aren't there other pursuits you could engage in?"

"I'm bored," Naomi finally said. "Mom's still feeling sick and there's nothing to do."

Seven of Nine nodded. Samantha was still suffering from the effects of theta radiation poisoning. These past few months had been difficult for the child.

"Could you tell me the story of when you got your new eye?" Naomi asked hopefully.

"You have heard that story so many times, I think you'd be able to tell it to me by now."

"But I like hearing you tell it," Naomi persisted. "Particularly the bit about how Chakotay tracked down that Vidiian doctor."

Seven of Nine wavered. For some reason Naomi had latched onto her after the Malon incident, and Seven of Nine felt some responsibility to the child while her mother recovered. "There is something I need to attend to at the moment. Perhaps there are some programs you could run on the new holodeck in the cargo bay."

"Maybe," Naomi said dubiously, clearly disappointed. She seemed to brighten up a bit and added, "would you come with me?"

Seven of Nine was about to respond that she was too busy, but then realized that wasn't the case. In fact, she found it necessary of late to work at finding other tasks in which to busy herself. The _Val Jean_ was operating at peak efficiency, and in the void, there was nothing for them to do but wait until they came out the other side. "I would be… happy to comply, but it will have to be later this afternoon" she finally said.

Naomi jumped a little in excitement. "Maybe you could help me come up with better rules for playing Maquis as well," she said hopefully.

"I will give it some thought," Seven of Nine replied. "Come to the cargo bay at sixteen hundred hours and we'll see what sort of programs we can find."

Naomi nodded, and skipped away back down the corridor in front of Seven of Nine. She heard Seven of Nine step down the shaft to one of the lower decks and then say something to someone else who was obviously coming up. She smiled and turned to position herself behind a piece of the bulkhead near the shaft. When the person emerged, she would pounce them. She giggled to herself at the thought.

Just when she was thinking whoever it was must have gone onto the middle deck, Chell's bald blue head popped out from the shaft. He took one step towards the bridge and Naomi jumped out from her hiding place.

"Stop!" she yelled, holding up her toy phaser.

Chell's eyes widened, and then he placed his hands on his chest. He groaned loudly and sank to his knees. "You got me," he breathed heavily, and then slumped forward onto the corridor's deck.

"I didn't shoot," Naomi protested.

Chell lifted his head up. "You didn't?" he said, and then sat up. He stayed sitting on the deck so he was at the same level as Naomi. "Who are you, a bandit?"

"No, I'm a Maquis officer," Naomi replied. "I'm fighting unjustice."

Chell nodded knowingly. "Ah, I didn't realize we were recruiting so young."

"I'm not that little. How do you fight unjustice anyway?" Naomi suddenly asked.

Chell made a dramatic movement of scratching his head, and Naomi laughed. "That's a good question. Hey, I'm going to the bridge, want to come along and we'll ask B'Elanna and Tom?"

"I'll have to go ask my Mom," Naomi replied. "She told me to stop bothering the people on the bridge."

Chell laughed and then stood up. "When I'm on the bridge, you can come and bother me anytime."

Naomi smiled. She liked Chell.

"How's our newest member of the crew doing?" Chell asked. "Have you recruited him into the Maquis?"

Naomi knew Chell was talking about Ayala and Amelia's new baby boy. He had been born just a few days before. "He's just a baby," Naomi objected.

Chell laughed again. "Just a thought," he said and turned towards the bridge. "You should see if he's ready. See ya squirt."

Naomi thought some more about it and then turned down the corridor. She knocked lightly on one of the doors, and soon enough, the door slid open. Inside she saw Amelia nursing the new baby in a comfortable looking chair that took up a large part of the room. Captain Chakotay and Ayala were sitting at a small table nearby. The quarters were cramped, but so was everywhere else inside the _Val Jean_.

"You can come in," Amelia said to Naomi, and so Naomi stepped in and up to Amelia and the baby. She put her toy phaser out of site.

"What do you think Naomi?" Ayala asked with a smile.

"He's so small," Naomi said. "Was I that small when I was born?"

"Smaller," Ayala replied. "You were born a few weeks before full term."

"What a day that was," Chakotay added, and Amelia nodded in agreement.

Naomi's mouth opened and she returned to gazing at the new baby.

Ayala lingered looking at his wife and son with almost the same wonder in his eyes, but eventually turned back to face Chakotay again.

"Are you sure about this?" Chakotay asked.

"Chakotay, you know I'll do whatever you decide," Ayala replied. "And I will always be there for you. But if it is my choice, I'm sure."

Chakotay sighed. His friend was looking much better, having suffered from theta radiation poisoning during their encounter with the Malon. It had been touch and go for a few weeks, but fortunately he had pulled through in the end. Chakotay wasn't sure what he would do without Ayala. He had been Chakotay's trusted right hand for many years. But of course Ayala wasn't going anywhere, he just wanted someone else to take over as First Officer so he could concentrate on his wife and new son. Hell, maybe he should have someone take over as Captain for a few months. He shook this thought from his head. "Who do you have in mind?" Chakotay finally asked.

Ayala nodded and glanced back over at Amelia. Amelia caught his eye immediately and turned to Naomi. "Come on Naomi, let's go show Tarik the warp core. He likes watching the pulsations."

Naomi dutifully followed Amelia out of the quarters. When they were gone, Ayala turned back to Chakotay.

"The most qualified Maquis would be either B'Elanna or Seska," he began immediately. Obviously he had been thinking about this for some time. "But I don't think either are interested."

Chakotay looked surprised. "You don't think Seska would want to be First Officer?"

"Oh, she might say she still wants to be, but I think she knows it would be disastrous. She wanted it too much before, and with everything that's happened…" Ayala pursed his lips, as if nothing more needed to be said.

"It would be disastrous," Chakotay agreed.

"As for the Star Fleet officers, Rollins and Paris are the most qualified," Ayala continued. He didn't sound too enthusiastic about them either.

"Not the young Harry Kim?" Chakotay replied with a smile.

Ayala seemed to be taking Chakotay's comment seriously, but then shook his head. "Maybe someday. Maybe he'll even take your place, but he's not ready yet."

Chakotay nodded in agreement. "What do you think of Rollins and Paris?"

"Don't get me wrong," Ayala replied immediately. "Both are good men and have been real assets, but…"

"But?"

"Rollins might be too much engrained with Star Fleet protocol. He'll ruffle a few feathers amongst the Maquis. And Paris has no interest in command. He's more interested in Torres and happy right where he is."

Chakotay frowned, but agreed with Ayala on both accounts.

"There is someone else," Ayala said tentatively.

Chakotay tried to think who of the Maquis or Star Fleet crew members might also qualify, and then it hit him. "Seven of Nine?"

Ayala nodded. "I wouldn't be here without Seven of Nine. She saved my life. Hell, she saved the whole boarding party."

That had been a close one with the Malon. Despite the intense theta radiation, Seven of Nine had kept her wits about her.

"When you first brought her aboard, I thought you were crazy," Ayala mused. "I kept a phaser handy and programmed with a rotating frequency just in case those first few months."

"You didn't have to do that," Chakotay replied with a frown.

"I know," Ayala responded. "Now. For whatever reason, she seems totally dedicated to you and this crew. I think she'd make you an excellent First Officer."

Chakotay thought back to earlier in the day when Seven of Nine had requested permission to help Tom Paris with his holodeck in the cargo bay. It would require diverting some of their scarce resources into a pursuit that on the surface seemed frivolous, but she had argued that the improvements would in turn improve crew morale. Many other instances readily came to mind of her looking after the interests of the _Val Jean_ crew. The more he thought about it, the more he realized the wisdom of having Seven of Nine become the _Val Jean_'s First Officer. She was indeed the obvious choice.

Chakotay nodded to Ayala and tapped his comm badge. "Computer, locate Seven of Nine."

"Seven of Nine is in her quarters."

Chakotay stood. "OK then. I'll go and speak with her immediately and see what she says." Ayala waved goodbye and Chakotay left the quarters and made his way to the central shaft and down to the lowest deck. Forward was weapons control and engineering, while aft was the entrance to the cargo bay. Harry and Gerron were playing some sort of game with darts just inside the entrance.

They both turned to face Chakotay when he entered. "Captain," Harry quickly said and straightened to attention.

"At ease Harry," Chakotay chuckled. If Chakotay recalled correctly, they were playing the same game the last time he had seen them the previous day. "Who's winning the game?"

Harry turned to Gerron and the young Bajoran shrugged. They both smiled and turned back to Chakotay.

"Carry on gentleman," Chakotay said and continued into the cargo bay and made his way to the back corner. Some partitions had been installed, at his insistence, to give Seven of Nine some privacy. He stood outside the partition and engaged the door chime.

The make shift door swished open and he heard Seven of Nine say, "enter."

The living area was stark with just the Borg alcove and a small table and chair. He knew the chair wasn't for her, but for the infrequent visitor, but then was surprised to notice a second chair in the back corner. Seven of Nine was standing by the table and on it was a ring of white candles. The lights were dimmed, and the dancing flames of the candles cast flickering shadows on the wall. As Chakotay approached closer, he noticed the candles were placed on a crown of sorts that could be placed on someone's head if desired.

"Today, by the old Earth calendar, is Saint Lucia's Day," Seven of Nine began, as a way of explanation. "December 13th, 2377. In my parents' logs, there is a mention of my mother celebrating this day when she was a little girl in Sweden, on Earth."

Chakotay stepped closer. "What is the significance of the day?"

"Saint Lucia herself was born in the year 283, possibly on the island of Sicily. There is no consensus as to the actual circumstances of her life, but it is likely she died a martyr's death for her Christian faith."

"Sicily is a long way from Sweden," Chakotay commented. "Why is Saint Lucia's life venerated there?"

"I believe it has to do with her name, which means light, and the fact that her feast day occurs close to the Winter Solstice. In Sweden, which is in Scandinavia and the far north on Earth, there is but a brief amount of daylight at this time of year. On Saint Lucia's Day, they are celebrating the lengthening of the days and the return of light."

"Did you celebrate as a child?"

Seven of Nine frowned. "No," she responded. "I was born on Tendara colony." Chakotay couldn't be certain, but he thought there might be a hint of sadness in her voice. She examined the candles closely for a short time and then leaned forward and blew them all out. It was dark for a moment, but then the lights in the small space that had been partitioned off as her quarters in the cargo bay brightened.

"My parents paid little attention to their heritage. There are only a few brief accounts of this day and similar celebrations in their logs, and those are usually only reminiscences from their childhood." Seven of Nine turned to face Chakotay. "I have observed, however, you and many on the _Val Jean_'s crew take comfort in the beliefs and traditions of your ancestors. I have thus made it a point to acknowledge Saint Lucia's Day and other holidays from my heritage each year as a way of trying to reconnect to that aspect of my humanity." She glanced back down at the candles and added, "Although this is the first time I've actually replicated candles and lit them."

Chakotay smiled. "I am pleased you allowed me to share this moment with you."

"Typically the eldest daughter in the family dresses in white and wears a crown of twigs and nine candles," Seven of Nine mused. "She awakens the family in song. _Sankta Lucia, ljusklara hägring_…"

"There may be a few people still asleep. Perhaps it's not too late," Chakotay suggested. The corner of Seven of Nine's lips turned up slightly and the ocular implant above her eye raised, and Chakotay laughed knowing that this was the closest she was going to come to laughing as well.

"Perhaps another time," Seven of Nine replied. "Given our current circumstances, however, I thought it appropriate to at least light the candles. The celebration predates Christianity in Scandinavia and is centered on the annual struggle between darkness and light. In about the same time it will take the Earth to transition from winter to spring in Sweden, we will finally emerge from this void and darkness and find ourselves again in the light."

Chakotay was impressed with the many facets of Seven of Nine. He stepped over to the chair in the corner and pulled it to the table. He then sat down and motioned for Seven of Nine to do the same.

"I have a proposition to make you," Chakotay said. "Let us talk of the future."

#

Author's note: Thank you scifiromance, The Cheshire Cheese, and lizzy74656 for your reviews of Chapters 2 and 3. The next chapter we'll be back to the "present" and find out what happened the next day after the events in "Alternatives". So, if you haven't yet read that story, you might want to read the first part again that takes place in this AU.


	5. The Next Day

# Chapter 5 – The Next Day

Three years later (the morning after the events in "Alternatives")… Stardate 57819.4

Seska gazed at herself in the small mirror beside the sonic cleanser in her quarters. The Bajoran ridges between her eyes were still prominent, having been surgically added before she infiltrated the Maquis. It was hard to believe that was almost eleven years ago. She touched her hand to her forehead and tilted her head from side to side. The Cardassian surgeon had done an excellent job. The scarring from the removal of her Cardassian features were nonexistent, and as long as she didn't reactivate those traits in her genome, she would remain a Bajoran, at least outwardly, for the rest of her life. Reactivating her Cardassian features would be easy enough to do, T'Vora had even suggested it and there were days she considered it. But… although she wasn't ashamed of her Cardassian heritage, her feelings about the Cardassian Union were ambivalent, and she didn't want one more thing to come between her and the rest of the _Val Jean_ crew.

She thought again about her decision to remain outwardly a Bajoran. When you came right down to it, it probably didn't affect the opinion of others on the _Val Jean_. Most of the Star Fleet crew didn't view spying on the Maquis as a stigma, and so they more readily accepted her, but she wouldn't call any of them her friends. As for the Maquis, Chell treated her the same as before. The fact that she had saved his life during the _Vetar_ incident played in her favor. But the others mostly just tolerated her, although B'Elanna and Dalby only thinly veiled their contempt. Even Gerron to a degree, who had looked up to her as a fellow Bajoran before the revelation, treated her now as an outsider… Did she miss their friendship?

And then there was Chakotay…

She frowned one last time in the mirror and tucked a bit of hair back into the tie in the back. "Well, that's as good as it's going to get," she murmured. She was alone in her quarters, one of the few on the _Val Jean_ who didn't have to room with someone else.

Seska exited and made her way down the hall that led to the central corridor on the middle deck. She had an early morning shift on the bridge, taking over for those who had worked the night shift. From the beginning the _Val Jean_ had operated with three eight hour shifts and a twenty-four hour day, since most of the crew were human or from worlds with nearly the same length day as that of Earth. The night shift had only minimal manning on the bridge and in engineering and it was during this time that most of the crew slept. Now, the _Val Jean_ had fallen into a routine with everyone pretty much doing the same jobs and the same shifts throughout an approximately one month duty cycle. She quickly climbed the shaft up to the upper deck and made her way to the bridge.

Harry was sitting at the pilot's station with Gerron at tactical and both turned around greet her. "Good morning," Harry said, although he appeared to be a little distracted. Gerron, who was usually very quiet anyway, just nodded.

"Good morning," Seska replied, and then looked about. "Where's Seven of Nine?" She was used to arriving for this shift with the _Val Jean_'s first officer already there. Seven of Nine needed less time regenerating than the rest needed sleep, and thus usually arrived early. In the six years she had known the ex-Borg drone, Seven of Nine had never been late for a duty shift.

Harry glanced nervously to Gerron and Gerron turned to look back down at the sensors as if he was studying the readouts. Harry faced Seska again. "Ah, I believe she's in the Captain's quarters," he said tentatively.

Seska turned to look back towards the Captain's door. "Chakotay is already awake?" she said. "That's odd. Did something happen during the night?"

Harry again glanced at Gerron for help, but Gerron refused to look up. "Um," Harry faltered.

"Out with it Harry," Seska said impatiently. "What's going on?"

Harry grimaced. "Seven of Nine went to see the Captain in the middle of the night," he finally said, his words coming faster as he spoke. "She's been in there ever since."

Seska turned back to look again at the door to the Captain's quarters. She had heard the rumors about Chakotay and Seven of Nine as well, but never really put much stock in them. There had been no real evidence, and no indication from either of a clandestine romance. Since hers and Chakotay's failed romance, Chakotay hadn't seemed interested in anyone. Was it possible?

She turned back to Harry with a look of shock. "Are you certain?"

Gerron finally looked up from the sensors and nodded. He had a bemused expression on his face. Seska opened her eyes a bit wider in surprise. Gerron was quiet, but also observant and paid attention to details. They had obviously seen her go into the Captain's quarters, and from the bridge, would have seen her depart if she had.

"What do we do?" Harry asked tentatively.

Seska continued to process the information, but it didn't readily gel in her mind. Chakotay and Seven of Nine? How did she feel about it?

"Seska?" Harry persisted.

Seska shook her head to clear it. "What do you mean? I'm here now. You both are relieved and can return to your quarters and get some sleep." She thought a bit more and then added, "And Harry, send up Tom to fill in for Seven of Nine until, ah, she's available."

Harry nodded and both he and Gerron scurried off of the bridge. Seska couldn't help but see the wide grins and hear the snickers as they left.

Chakotay and Seven of Nine… It was going to take some getting used to. Seska sat down at the pilot's seat and gave it some more thought.

#

"That was not the negotiated price," Seska said. "We will be in your system in three days, and unless you pay what was agreed, we will take the shipment of dilithium ore to another buyer."

"The parameters of the arrangement have changed," the Kumary official replied. "I am only authorized to pay you the revised amount."

"Then I suppose you will do without the dilithium ore," Seska said cooly.

"Wait," the official said as Seska motioned to cut off the link.

Tom leaned back and tuned out of the conversation. He was glad to have Seska handling the negotiations with the Kumary. They had been warned by Commander Nocona at the mining facility when they agreed to handle the shipment of dilithium ore, but the profit they would realize on the transport would go a long way in replenishing the _Val Jean_'s replicator raw material and energy reserves, and so they took the job.

What was more interesting to Tom was the news buzzing about that Seven of Nine had spent the night with Chakotay. He turned to look back out in the corridor. He had been at the pilot's station for fifty minutes now but there was still no activity about the Captain's quarters.

"That pompous ass," Seska grunted.

Tom realized the negotiations were over, for now, and returned to the pilot's station. "We were warned," he commented.

Seska rolled her eyes. "That's the third time they've tried to weasel out of the original agreement."

"The Kumary again?"

Seska and Tom both turned quickly to face Seven of Nine who had silently stepped onto the bridge behind them. She was wearing her usual Maquis outfit that covered most of her remaining Borg armor. T'Vora had removed what she could during the first few months Seven of Nine was aboard, but only being a field medic and not an actual medical doctor, had been reluctant to remove anything further. Enough had been removed, however, for Seven of Nine to look less like a Borg drone and more human, particularly with the new cybernetic eye acquired from the Vidiian trader. After her initial surprise, Seska recovered quickly and nodded. "Another government official in yet another Kumary council."

Seven of Nine pursed her lips, seeing both Tom and Seska startled by her sudden appearance. "I apologize for being late Seska. I was… Captain Chakotay and I were up most of the night and early this morning… talking."

"Talking," Tom repeated significantly, and then was shocked when he detected Seven of Nine's cheeks take on a darker color before she turned away. Was she blushing? It was hard to tell given that her skin wasn't exactly a natural color to begin with. Not the sickly white of a Borg drone, mind you, but also not the pink, tan, or brown of a healthy human. More a pale pasty color, but also now, with a distinct flush in the cheeks. Tom glanced quickly to Seska to see if she had noticed too. Seska simply raised her eyebrows.

Seven of Nine turned back to face the two of them. "I can only imagine the rumors that will start…"

"Already started," Tom interrupted with a smile.

Seven of Nine's ocular implant raised slightly and she shook her head. "I can assure you Mister Paris that whatever's going through your mind is not what happened. We were simply talking. We both fell asleep, and then overslept."

"I understand," Tom said, but didn't sound convinced.

"I do require sleep, just like the rest of you. Usually, however, I'm regenerating at the same time."

"I understand," Tom repeated, although the smile on his face revealed he was indeed letting his active imagination run amok.

Seven of Nine sighed and was about to say something else when Chakotay stepped onto the bridge.

"Captain," Tom said. "Seven of Nine was telling us how you two were, ah, talking last night."

"Yes," Chakotay answered smoothly, and then turned to Seven of Nine and added, "It was a stimulating and wonderful discussion."

And as the two of them looked at each other with an unmistakable connection between them, Tom again turned to Seska to see if she was noticing the same thing. Seska opened her mouth a bit to indicate in the affirmative, although Tom also detected something else in her expression. Disbelief, certainly, but frustration perhaps? Even a slight look of disgust?

Seven of Nine seemed to sense the two bridge officers were looking at her and Chakotay, so she suddenly looked down and touched her comm badge. "Seven of Nine to Torres."

"_Go ahead_."

"Please come to the bridge immediately."

"_Understood_."

Seven of Nine exchanged a glance with Chakotay and then she turned to Seska. "One thing the Captain and I discussed early this morning was the possibility of our searching for a Borg transwarp hub. From a… premonition the Captain had during the night, we have reason to believe there is one in our current vicinity."

"What's a transwarp hub?" Tom asked, becoming more serious at once at the mention of the Borg.

"A structure used by the Borg to connect a vast network of transwarp conduits. There are only six distributed throughout the Galaxy's four quadrants. B'Elanna and Seska will have to recalibrate our main sensor array to increase their sensitivity to neutrino emissions."

"Perhaps B'Elanna and I aren't the correct team for this job," Seska offered.

"On the contrary," Chakotay replied. "You essentially built the _Val Jean_'s sensors after that skirmish in the Badlands all those years ago, and B'Elanna is our best engineer."

Seska frowned. "That's not exactly what I was talking about."

"Wouldn't you know exactly where these transwarp hubs are," Tom questioned Seven of Nine. "From when you were connected to the Hive Mind?"

"Not every individual drone is aware of all that's within the Hive Mind," Seven of Nine replied. "I had forgotten these hubs even existed until last night when Chakotay reminded me."

Tom noticed immediately that Seven of Nine had called the Captain, Chakotay, and not by his rank. There was a definite familiarity between the two that had not been evident the day before. But then again, the Captain hadn't been around much these past few months to notice.

"Seven believes we can extend the range of our sensors to hundreds of light years and then do a sweep of the nearby area," Chakotay offered. "If we find it, it may offer us a quick and easy way home."

Seven? Did Chakotay just refer to Seven of Nine with a nickname? Tom was glad Chakotay appeared to be addressing Seska and not himself, for he wasn't sure he would be able to form a coherent answer. Sure, he had heard the rumors. He had even speculated with others on the possibility. But to now see concrete evidence of a relationship between the _Val Jean_'s captain and first officer…

"When do we arrive in the Kalmary system?" Seven asked.

"Three days," Seska answered.

"We have three days then to get the sensors reconfigured."

As Seven was speaking, B'Elanna arrived on the bridge. Seven turned and handed B'Elanna a PADD. "Here are specifications for an enhanced neutrino sensor grid. You will work with Seska to reconfigure the _Val Jean_'s lateral array. The two of you have three days to complete the modifications. Recruit whomever you need and get others to take over your duty shifts, this takes highest priority."

"Yes ma'am," B'Elanna said and accepted the PADD. She then glanced briefly at Chakotay, Seska, and Tom. She did a double take with Tom, for something in his expression indicated there was something he wanted to tell her.

"I will be working with Ayala, Kim and Jarvin on creating a new shield capability and at enhancing our weapons."

"Are we going into battle?" B'Elanna questioned.

Seven seemed to consider this and turned to Chakotay. "Not if we can help it," Chakotay answered. "For where we're hoping to go, however, we have to be prepared." He then turned to Seven and added, "I'll be helping you out down in weapons control. I have a little experience in that area."

Seven smiled, and the two of them left the bridge together.

When they were out of earshot, B'Elanna turned to Tom. "What was that all about?"

Tom simply grinned from ear to ear. B'Elanna and he had some "talking" to do…

#

It had been a long day. B'Elanna and Seska had made progress with the sensor modifications, and had enlisted both Gerron and Dalby for assistance. B'Elanna assured Seven the enhancements would be completed within the three day limit, and Chakotay was pleased that she was "playing nice" with Seska. The modifications to the shield grid and weapons were proving more problematic, but not hopeless. Any knowledge available to the Borg was off limits for it would be useless. If they were to encounter a remnant of the Borg, which Seven assured them was still out there, they had to be ready and they had to start from scratch. Fortunately, Harry Kim had an inspiration at the end of the day that might prove successful.

Seven was sitting near the head of Chakotay's bed. She decided if she was going to sit at all, it might as well be the most comfortable spot in the quarters. "Did you notice how many on the crew were watching us closely all day," she commented.

Chakotay was standing in the adjacent washroom by the sink trying to remove some material from his hands from when he was crawling about the access tubes in weapons control. "They did seem to be in good humor all day," he replied.

"I believe that was mostly due to their finally seeing you out and about," Seven chastised. "I have told you for months now to interact with the crew more."

Chakotay finished up at the sink and stepped over to join Seven sitting on the bed. "And so I finally took your advice," he said with a smile.

Seven glanced down. Their knees were just about touching, but not quite, and yet she could sense his closeness.

"What's wrong?" Chakotay said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Many on the crew _were_ watching us," Seven replied, unsure. "Marina Jor, who rarely speaks to me at all, actually smiled and wished me a good day."

"She is half-Betazoid, perhaps she sensed something different about you today," Chakotay teased.

Seven frowned. "And you know, I told Tom Paris that we were talking last night, and I believe he's been using it as a euphemism for something much more intimate. I overheard Gabriel Hogan and Kenneth Dalby referring to this, and when I approached them, they both looked rather guilty."

Chakotay edged a little closer and their knees did touch. He then placed his large hand on her leg. "Talking can be intimate," he suggested. "We're getting to know each other Seven. Our hopes and fears. All those things that make us who we are. I think we got pretty intimate last night with our talking. Perhaps that did show."

That sounded reasonable. It was hard to believe it had been less than twenty-four hours since he had called her to his quarters to discuss his dream. As she had told him the night before, she was quite unfamiliar with these feelings and emotions. It was going to take a little time to adjust to the new circumstances, but she was confident she would adapt. Seven glanced down at Chakotay's hand and found it more and more difficult to concentrate with it still resting casually on her thigh.

"Does that bother you?" Chakotay inquired.

At first, Seven thought he might be referring to his hand, which she wouldn't quite categorize as bothering her, but then she realized it was in relation to his last statement. "You are right," she finally said. "Their behavior is irrelevant."

"I think the prospect of getting home using the transwarp hub is another reason for the crew's excitement," Chakotay offered.

"I suspect that as well," Seven agreed. "I did overhear conversations speculating on what's going on with the Maquis in the alpha quadrant and of friends back home."

A look of concern passed over Chakotay's face. "Do you really think we might find the hub?"

"Your description of one of your counterparts successfully returning to Earth with the aid of a Borg trans-warp conduit is indicative and consistent of his using a transwarp hub," Seven replied. "Given that the _Val Jean_ would be traveling approximately the same route home in our universe as compared to _Voyager_ in his universe means that at some point in our journey we have or will pass close to the same transwarp hub."

"If the transwarp hubs are located in the same spots in our Galaxy as compared to his."

"True, but from your description, our two universes, and the universes from the rest of the group for that matter, are not all that different. The timelines, as it were, are only slightly diverged. My history, and your history, and our shared destiny, are relatively unchanged."

"I like the sound of that," Chakotay said. "But what if it was all just a dream?"

"We will find out soon enough," Seven stated, pushing away the doubt as irrelevant. "And besides, I am more than satisfied with the turn of events regardless of the veracity of the dream that led us here."

Chakotay smiled. "So, is there anything else you'd like to know about me?" he asked.

"Tell me more about your sister and growing up on Darvon Five," Seven replied, and then added, "You know, I did not regenerate today, so I won't be able to have these late nights with you indefinitely."

"Nor I," Chakotay chuckled. "I'm going to have to get sleep myself sometime. Are you suggesting you need to go down to your quarters and regenerate?"

Seven appeared to be considering this, but then moved a little closer to him so not just their knees were touching. "I can go several days, actually, without regenerating. One more day will do no harm."

They were close enough now that by a simple turn of his head, Chakotay could lean down and kiss her. Seven had done some research months before and had read that the anticipation of the first kiss was often uncomfortable. Chakotay seemed to be thinking about something, and as the moment lingered, Seven realized the half-truth of that statement. Perhaps there was discomfort. Was Chakotay even interested in that sort of physical intimacy? But mixed with that was a thrilling excitement of anticipation.

And as if he was reading her mind, Chakotay turned slowly to face Seven more fully. He moved his other hand to cradle the side of her face and it was as if time were standing still. Their mouths were centimeters away, and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. Intimacy was not just physical, but a state of mind. When mixed with physical touch, however, it becomes all the more potent.

Chakotay then leaned forward and Seven moved up to meet him.

The two of them kissed long and tenderly.

#

Marina Jor turned to Samantha Wildman. "Remind me why we got the night shift on the bridge after working our regular duty yesterday?"

Samantha shrugged. "Harry is working with Seven of Nine on enhancing the shield grid and Gerron is working with B'Elanna and Seska on the lateral sensor array. There's something big going on. Something about a Borg transwarp hub."

"Hmmm."

The two of them were on the bridge while most of the rest of the _Val Jean_ slept. Naomi, who usually followed either her mother or Seven of Nine during duty shifts, was curled up under a seat on the side of the bridge. She had wanted to stay up all night with her mother, but had drifted off a couple of hours before. A chime sounded in front of Samantha and both leaned forward to take a look and then looked at the other in alarm.

"We're being hailed by the Kumary," Samantha whispered.

"At this hour?" Marina added in disgust.

"Should we wake up Chakotay or Seven of Nine?"

Marina turned to look down the hallway towards the Captain's quarters. Although she was half-Betazoid, her empathic abilities were spotty at best. She closed her eyes to concentrate, and then turned back to Samantha and shook her head. "We shouldn't, ah, disturb them I think. How about Ayala?"

Samantha grimaced. "With their second baby? He just stopped crying an hour ago, we should let him and Amelia get some sleep."

"Actually Ayala now has four sons," Marina commented. "He has two sons on Earth from his first marriage."

"Ayala was married before? I didn't know that."

Marina nodded. "His first wife was killed on their colony planet in the Demilitarized Zone. He took his sons to stay with relatives on Earth before joining the Maquis."

The chime sounded again bringing them out of their conversation with a start.

"Oh come on," Marina finally said. "We can handle this."

"I'm a xenobiologist, not a diplomat," Samantha protested.

"And I was originally a linguist," Marina replied. "Come on, xenobiology is studying alien species, and linguists, you know… speak. So, here we go."

She opened up the comm channel and an unfamiliar Kumary official stared back at them. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Marina sensed hostility, but of course you didn't have to be empathic to figure that one out. "Marina Jor and Samantha Wildman of the Maquis ship _Val Jean_," Marina responded as pleasantly as she could. "How may we assist you?"

#

Author's note: Thank you scifiromance, The Cheshire Cheese, and Alastar Boneman for reviewing the last chapter.

After reading The Cheshire Cheese's brilliant fanfiction story "My Crew", I thought I'd list the past and current _Val Jean_ crew members. I also consulted scifiromance about who's in her wonderful Maquis-focused fanfiction story "The Gift". They _all_ might not appear in this story (in fact, some must have been killed at some point in this AU by the Kazon or Krenim or Vidiians, or (place your favorite belligerent delta quadrant species here) to bring the numbers down to 16 Maquis from the original crew that I implied in Chapter 4 when I stated there were only 31 total on the _Val Jean_), but who knows. Mostly the list is from the _Voyager_ crew listing on Memory Alpha. Let me know if I've missed anybody or if corrections are needed. There are still a number of unknown first names and those from Voyager who were rescued. Any ideas?

Original Maquis crew

Ayala (human male) – many appearances in canon universe – original First Officer and now married to Amelia Jenkins in this AU. _First name Miquel_ _from "My Crew" and first name Jake from "The Gift". He'll just stay Ayala for now…_

Kurt Bendara (human male) – appeared (and died) in **Alliances** in canon universe

Carlson (human looking male) – appeared (as hologram) in **Worst Case Scenario** in canon universe

Chakotay (human male) – many appearances in canon universe – Captain of the _Val Jean _in canon and this AU

Chell (Bolian male) – appeared in **Learning Curve** and **Repression** (also mentioned in several others) in canon universe – alive and well in this AU

Kenneth Dalby (human male) – appeared in **Learning Curve** in canon universe – alive and well in this AU

Doyle (human looking male) – appeared in **Repression** in canon universe

Gerron (Bajoran male) – appeared in **Learning Curve** in canon universe – alive and well in this AU

_Nathaniel Harrow (human male?) – Creation of C/7 fanfiction writer and used in "The Gift"_

Mariah Henley (human female) – appeared in **Learning Curve** in canon universe

_Gabriel_ Hogan (human male) – appeared in several early episodes before being killed in **Basics** in canon universe. _First name from "The Gift"_ – alive and well in this AU

Jackson (unknown male) – mentioned in **State of Flux** in canon universe

Jarvin (human looking male) – appeared in **Parallax** in canon universe – alive and well in this AU

Michael Jonas (human male) – appeared in several early episodes before being killed in **Investigations** in canon universe - killed in action during an incident with the Kazon in this AU (never did like him…)

_Marina_ Jor (human/_Betazoid_ female) – appeared in **Repression** in canon universe_ - First name and species from "My Crew"_ – alive and well in this AU

O'Donnell (human male) – appeared in **Hope and Fear** and (as hologram) in **Worst Case Scenario** in canon universe

_Logan Pullman (human male?) – created in "The Gift"_

Seska (Cardassian female) – many appearances in canon universe - surgically altered to pass as Bajoran, was Cardassian spy – alive and well in this AU. Btw – I'm thinking Seska is her family name, and we have yet to learn her Bajoran "given" name.

_T'Vora _(Vulcan female) – appeared (although not named) in **Repression** in canon universe - the _Val Jean_'s "doctor" in this AU, although she has no medical training. _Name from "My Crew"_

Lon Sudar (Betazoid male) – appeared in **Meld** and then killed in **Basics** in canon universe - killed in action during an incident with the Kazon in this AU (didn't want to have to explain his antisocial tendencies…)

Tabor (Bajoran male) – appeared in **Nothing Human** and **Repression** in canon universe

_Toran (Bolian male) – created in "My Crew"_

B'Elanna Torres (Klingon/human female) – many appearances in canon universe – the _Val Jean_'s chief engineer in this AU

Yosa (human looking male) – appeared in **Repression** in canon universe

Star Fleet personnel

_Amelia_ Jenkins –appeared in **Warhead** in canon universe. _First name from The Cheshire Cheese's "Bargaining Chips_"- married to Ayala in this AU

Harry Kim – many appearances in canon universe

Tom Paris – many appearances in canon universe

Rollins – appeared in **Caretaker** and **Dreadnought** in canon universe.

Samantha Wildman – many appearances in canon universe.

7 other Voyager crew - Vorik and Jenny and Megan Delaney were suggested as survivors in this AU by lizzy74656 – still figuring that out…

Other additions

Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One – many appearances in canon universe – current First Officer of _Val Jean_ in this AU

Children

Naomi Wildman – many appearances in canon universe – alive and well in this AU

Tarik Ayala – new character to this story

Theo Ayala – new character to this story

Perhaps others (Miral?), but not yet mentioned in this AU


	6. The Demons Stir and the Candle Gutters

# Chapter 6 – The Demons Stir and the Candle Gutters

Seven examined the sensor readings carefully. The night shift had ended, but Gerron and Chell were still on the bridge with Seven and Rollins who were taking over from them. Naomi Wildman was also up early to follow Seven for the day and huddled towards the back of the bridge out of the way. They could hear a few others up as well, gathering in the galley in the rear of the deck for a breakfast.

"We first detected the signal in the wide area search and then narrowed down the parameters as specified in B'Elanna and Seska's procedures," Chell said.

As Seven scrolled down the sensor log, Gerron pointed to the tell-tale signature. An enhanced neutrino peak stood well above the background noise.

"With the targeted search," Chell continued, "we easily found the source. Not only high neutrino emissions but an intermittent graviton flux as well."

"It appears to be embedded in a Class 6 nebula," Seven commented. She pressed some buttons and an image of the nebula was projected onto the _Val Jean_'s main screen. It glowed orange with some young main sequence stars embedded within. "Have you run a comparison against the parameters I supplied?"

Gerron again pointed to a spot in the log, but Chell responded anyway, "Yes ma'am. A ninety-eight point six percent probability match," he enthused. "I think we've got it, and it's only twenty-seven days away at maximum warp."

The readings were hard to dispute, but those assembled on the bridge awaited Seven's confirmation. "I think you're right," she finally said.

As Seven double checked the sensor log, she realized Naomi had moved forward and was standing close beside her. "So we found the Borg transwarp hub?" Naomi said, a slight waver in her voice.

"We did," Chell said triumphantly and finally stood up from the pilot's station. It had been just chance that he was on the bridge when the enhanced lateral scanners had detected the hub, but that didn't dissuade his pride at being the one who finally discovered it after four days of searching. "I'm going to go and tell the others."

Chell left, and since his shift was over as well, Gerron stood and followed close behind. Rollins stepped forward and sat down in the seat just vacated by Chell. "Should I inform the Captain?" Rollins asked and looked back to Seven.

Seven nodded as Naomi started tugging on her sleeve. When Seven glanced down, she noticed a definite look of distress in the young girl's eyes. Seven stepped back from the sensors and kneeled down so she was at Naomi's level. "Naomi Wildman," Seven said. "What is the matter?"

"I'm scared," Naomi squeaked in reply.

"What are you scared of?"

Naomi's eyes darted from side to side, as if there might be something on the bridge with them. "The Borg," she finally said. "I don't want to be assimilated."

"You will not be assimilated," Seven stated firmly.

Naomi seemed to take comfort in Seven's words, but questions still passed over her face. She edged a little closer to Seven and then pointed to the main view screen. "The Borg are in that nebula. You've said it yourself, the Borg are still out there."

"Yes," Seven responded, a little more hesitantly than she would have liked. Naomi's eyes mirrored her own when she was just six. Seven knew that look. She recognized Naomi's fear and glanced at the nebula still projected on the main view screen. A feeling a dread suddenly threatened to overwhelm her. Seven cleared her throat. "We are taking every precaution so that the Borg will not be interested in us," she managed, before having to clear her throat again. "We plan to slip right past them and use the transwarp hub to get back home."

"My home is here, on the _Val Jean_," Naomi corrected, for she had known no other. "Do you promise everything will be OK?"

Seven hesitated again. The shield modifications were proceeding and would provide a reasonable level of security against the Borg. It was Harry who had suggested masking all advanced technology emissions with the shields instead of seeking a full cloaked capability. The idea was that if the Borg scanned their vessel, it would be uninterested in assimilated the low level of technology that would register. She more than any knew the danger of the Borg, however, regardless of well-intentioned preparations. Up until this moment, the Borg transwarp hub was an abstract idea, and preparations for finding it and a possible encounter with the Borg were only hypothetical. Now, as she looked at the nebula on the screen it was less than a month away. The Borg were that much closer and her imagination had much more to work with.

Seven knew the Borg. She knew the dangers. "I promise," she finally whispered, and then stood up quickly. The thought of Naomi being assimilated repulsed her. She could not let that happen. "Naomi Wildman, stay here with Mister Rollins and monitor the sensors."

"You're assigning me bridge duty?" Naomi said, her fears suddenly vanishing with the promise of safety and the news of being asked to do a real job.

"I will return shortly," Seven said to both Naomi and Rollins and turned on her heal and exited the bridge. Her words were strong and authoritative, something the crew of the _Val Jean_ had become used to and comfortable with. Now, however, they hid a sense of unease growing within her. As she approached the central shaft, she noted a large crowd now gathered in and just outside the galley at the end of the corridor. News of the find had spread quickly on the small ship. She touched her comm badge. "Computer locate Captain Chakotay."

"_Captain Chakotay is in starboard access tube three_."

Of course, still helping Ayala, Dalby, and Kim with the shield modifications. Seven stepped forward towards the shaft and noticed Amelia with her two boys standing with Miriah Henley. The two women hung back from the boisterousness of the rest of the _Val Jean_ crew assembled in the galley. Miriah was seven months pregnant and her hands rested on her abdomen, while Amelia was cradling her newborn son Theo. Tarik, now three years old, stood next to her with his arms wrapped around his mother's leg. Seven couldn't help but notice a look of concern in each woman's face. Was she imagining it, or were they sharing Naomi's fear of the Borg. An image of a Borg maturation chamber flashed through Seven's head. Could she guarantee that these children of the _Val Jean_ wouldn't meet the same fate as the young six year old girl she once was?

Memories of the maturation chamber then filled her mind. She had entered at age six, soon after being assimilated from the _Raven_, and then exited a little over a year later as a full grown adult drone. Her childhood stolen from her by the Borg and their hideous process. Flashes of that time slipped into consciousness, and the pain. As a drone you don't feel pain in the same way, but the pain was still there. The accelerated growth was difficult on the body, and the pain was ever present. Memories she had thought were forgotten. Her childhood and adolescent years compressed and only a partial link to the Hive Mind. You don't really sleep in a maturation chamber…

Seven paused and shook her head, an attempt to clear these thoughts from her mind. Her parents had made preparations to stay hidden from the Borg, but in the end had failed. Seven hastened to the shaft and nearly ran over Marina Jor who was coming up to join the group in the galley.

Marina looked up and smiled at the near collision. "Seven, is it true? Did we find the Borg transwarp hub?"

Seven nodded stiffly. "Apparently so," she replied, her worry still successfully hidden behind her disciplined exterior.

Marina hesitated and looked at Seven with more concern. "Is there something wrong Seven?"

Seven still wasn't quite used to the new interaction she now enjoyed with most on the crew. The simple shortening of her name from Seven of Nine to Seven had apparently allowed many people to start to talk to her more and open up. She was now constantly greeted with a friendly exchange instead of a courteous nod. It then occurred to Seven that Marina also had empathic abilities and she wondered if she sensed something more in her emotions at this particular moment.

"I'm uncertain," Seven finally replied. "I am experiencing conflicting emotions right now." Honest, but subdued.

Marina nodded in understanding. "I think I know what you mean," she said. "It's a lot to take in."

Seven liked Marina, but she didn't want to share her feelings and emotions at the current time until she understood them more fully herself. "What do you sense of the crew's reaction?" Seven asked.

Marina seemed surprised. Seven had never asked her to share perceptions garnered by her empathic abilities before. Seven mostly wanted to deflect attention away from herself, but as she watched Marina consider her answer, it occurred to Seven that consulting Marina on these matters might be beneficial. She felt reticent she hadn't thought of it before.

"Like my own feelings on the matter," Marina finally said. "There's excitement mixed with uncertainty. The Borg are a powerful and dangerous foe." Marina seemed to then remember who she was talking to and added hastily, "as I'm sure you know. But, we trust you and Chakotay. We know that the two of you will see us through this, as you've done before."

Had she thought of all the contingencies? The crew trusted that with her knowledge of the Borg, she would have all the answers. Did she? She felt she had to go speak with Chakotay immediately. "Thank you, but you'll have to excuse me Marina. I'm heading down to weapons control."

"Of course," Marina replied and moved aside for Seven to proceed down the shaft.

Seven moved past the middle deck and caught Seska's eye as she too seemed to be headed out of her quarters and evidently up to the galley to join in the celebration. They exchanged a nod as Seven continued down the shaft to the bottom deck. Seven was thankful they hadn't spoken, but then wondered idly what had been bothering Seska this past week. Contrary to the rest of the crew, Seska had seemed to withdraw a bit and almost appeared to be avoiding her.

When Seven arrived outside the corridor that led to both the engine room and weapons control, Chakotay was just emerging from one of the starboard tubes that enabled access to various components of the ship including artificial gravity, deflectors and shields.

"Seven," he greeted her. "I just heard from Rollins…" Chakotay stopped after catching Seven's eye. "What's wrong?" he then asked with unease.

Chakotay, of course, had seen right through her. Harry and Dalby were also there and were all smiles. Seven glanced at the two of them and then reached out and grabbed Chakotay's hand. "We need to go talk in my quarters," she said abruptly and started escorting him back to the cargo bay. She was strong, and even if Chakotay wished to resist, she would have dragged him along after her. Chakotay, however, willingly followed quickly behind her, a look of concern growing on his face.

The dilithium ore was finally out of the cargo bay, having been successfully delivered to the Kumary days before, and so it was a straight line back to Seven's quarters. They reached her quarters and went inside. The lights came on automatically and the door shut. Seven did not release her grip on Chakotay's hand.

"What's wrong Seven?" he repeated, turning to her and placing his other hand on top of hers.

"I'm uncertain," Seven replied. Now that she was alone with Chakotay, the uneasiness she felt finally came through in her voice. "I feel anxious. I feel claustrophobic."

Chakotay had never seen Seven so agitated before. He had spent a great deal of time with Seven over the past week, and even before that, he had grown close to Seven as she served as his first officer. In all that time, they had worked to avoid contact with the Borg at all cost. It had been over five years since their last hints of any Borg activity. "Is it the Borg?" he guessed.

"But we are taking precautions," Seven protested. "The new shields, the enhanced weapons. I know there's still danger, but we've been in danger before. Why do I feel this… anxiety."

Chakotay moved closer to Seven and wrapped his arm around her. "We've had our scrapes, but it hasn't been the Borg before. I'm sure this is stirring up all kinds of memories and emotions for you."

"I am useless to you and the crew if I can't control my emotions," Seven said.

Chakotay pulled Seven closer and wrapped his arms around her. "You're only human," Chakotay reassured her, emphasizing the last word. "Rollins said we'll reach the hub in a month. We will work together and redouble our efforts and planning. We won't go forward until you and I are completely satisfied we have reduced the risks to a minimum."

"There might be more we can do with the weapons," Seven replied, a sense of calm returning to her voice. "And we should plan for contingencies if we are boarded."

Chakotay continued to hold Seven close. "And after all that," he added. "If you and I are still not satisfied we've reduced the risk enough, we'll simply continue on our way and forget about the Borg transwarp hub. We'll find another way home."

Seven nodded and then sighed heavily. She _was_ home. The feelings and emotions that had threatened to overwhelm her were subsiding. The two of them stayed intertwined in each other's arms for another couple minutes.

Seven leaned back slightly and looked up into Chakotay's eyes. "I don't want to be assimilated," she finally said, repeating Naomi's words from earlier. She then buried her head into Chakotay's shoulder again and took comfort in his strong arms around her.

#

Author's note: Thank you scifiromance, The Cheshire Cheese, and Alaster Boneman for your reviews of the last chapter. They have been very encouraging. I'm envisioning four more chapters.


	7. Into the Darkness

# Chapter 7 – Into the Darkness

"Is that everyone?" Chakotay asked.

Cathal O'Donnell, who had just entered the cargo bay, replied "I left the bridge on auto-pilot and an alarm will sound if anything happens within a hundred thousand kilometers."

Chakotay nodded satisfied. Cathal had grayed a bit in the last decade and so his red hair was now subdued, but he still scowled as he did when Chakotay first met him in that Dublin pub, and he was just as cautious now as he'd always been.

Chakotay stood at one end of the cargo bay. He was flanked by Seven, his first officer, and B'Elanna, his chief engineer. The entire crew of the _Val Jean_ had assembled like this just once before, soon after the incident at the Caretaker's array. They now stood again before Chakotay in the only area on the ship that could hold them all in one space. They had been together for ten years now in the Delta Quadrant. This was not only his crew, but his family. He glanced over to Ayala and Amelia with their boys. Indeed, it was a growing family, for his crew now including children who had been born in the intervening years. Their two boys were an interesting mix of Ayala's dark hair and features and Amelia's blond hair and fair complexion.

Everyone settled and all eyes looked towards him expectantly.

"You all know why we're here," Chakotay began. "We're just outside the nebula, and so we have a decision to make. Do we go within and risk an encounter with the Borg in order to use the transwarp hub to return to the Alpha Quadrant, or do we point our bow away from the nebula and head home by a different route."

"We're ready," Harry Kim said from near the rear of the group. "Let's go to the hub and get home."

There was some laughter, for of all those from the original Maquis crew and the Star Fleet additions, Harry was the one who was the most eager and vocal in wanting to find a way home. Chakotay also noticed there were some murmurs of agreement, but not from everybody. He caught the eye of Samantha Wildman who was holding her daughter close. Samantha remained quiet, but Chakotay sensed she was uncertain. It was his job now to lay out all the facts, and see what the consensus was.

"It's not that simple Harry," Chakotay continued. "There are risks. Sure, we've prepared for the risks we can think of, but that doesn't mean the risks are not there. So, here's where we stand.

"We've modified our shields to mask all advanced technology we have aboard the _Val Jean_. If scanned, it will appear we're only capable of warp 3 at best. With luck, the Borg will simply ignore our presence as uninteresting and unworthy of assimilation." Chakotay glanced at Seven and then continued, "But, that is the Borg from before their war with Species 8472. We've had no contact with them in the last decade, and so the Borg of today could react differently. There are indications things have changed, and they might not be happy with us poking around their precious transwarp hub.

"As you know, we have clear evidence now from our sensors that the transwarp hub is operational, although at a more reduced rate than what Seven originally suspected." Chakotay gestured to the side of the cargo bay where some fragments of Borg ships still remained. They had brought some aboard to examine as they began to encounter the fragments as they got closer to the nebula during the past month. "The debris we have picked up does show signs of an energy discharge consistent to what is known of the Species 8472 weapons, but there are also indications that some of the damage was caused by Borg weapons as well. Were Borg ships firing on each other? If this is an indication of internal conflict within the Collective, why did it happen and what does it mean? These are questions we don't know the answers to.

"Regarding weapons, we've developed a new capability to selectively target their transporters. In effect, if a nearby Borg vessel is not fooled by our ruse and uses their transporters in an attempt board the _Val Jean_, we'll be able to disable them using the transporter's carrier wave. We're confident this weapon will function, but not before the possibility of some Borg drones materializing on the _Val Jean_. If the Borg behave as they have in the past, this means one or two drones in engineering, but again, that is not a guarantee, and so we have to be prepared."

Chakotay paused and looked about the crew. Most already knew these plans and contingencies. They had spent the last month going through them all. Deciding where each of them should be and what job they would do when they entered the nebula. They knew all but one of the plans, that is. He would save that one for last. All eyes were still on him.

"If we are boarded, we'll be ready in every part of the ship. There will be an open comm to direct our people to where they're needed. Everyone will be armed with phasers and all phasers have been modified to rotate frequencies. We'll undoubtedly be able to disable a few drones with these phasers before they become useless. After that, it's likely hand to hand combat."

Chakotay noticed now some people glancing to their comrades. Hand to hand combat with a Borg drone was not a pleasant proposition. Their enhanced strength aside, the prospect of assimilation was frightening. The idea that they could become the very drones the crew of the _Val Jean_ were fighting. But Chakotay had an answer for that last concern.

"If it comes to that, however, Seven and T'Vora have come up with a plan to assure no one on the _Val Jean_ is assimilated."

That got their attention. Now the tricky part.

"The Borg use tiny machines injected into the blood of their victims to transform the host body and connect it to the Hive Mind. The Hive Mind and drone have the ability to program these nanoprobes for different functions. These nanoprobes become part of the drone and essential to its operation and maintenance. As long as there are Borg components in the host body, these nanoprobes remain."

Chakotay paused for a moment to let that last part sink in and resisted the temptation to glance again to Seven. He knew how hard this was for her, but also knew she had insisted.

"Seven has these nanoprobes in her bloodstream right now, and she has the ability to program them."

Again Chakotay paused. It was Dalby who first realized the implication. "She could assimilate us all?" he asked, a bit of uncertainty in his voice. Dalby was a hot head, but intelligent.

"Yes," Seven replied.

"But that is not the intention," Chakotay quickly added. "These nanoprobes will be programmed instead to reject assimilation into the Hive Mind."

"Seven's nanoprobes can neutralize the other nanoprobes?" Dalby asked.

"Not exactly," Chakotay responded. "I won't lie to you, the injected nanoprobes from a Borg drone may start creating Borg components within your body and start the process of assimilation, but Seven's nanoprobes will protect your higher brain functions from becoming joined into the Collective."

"Each of us has to be injected with some of Seven's nanoprobes?" Mariah Henley asked. She sounded a bit disgusted by the proposition. Chakotay felt for Seven, for it was exactly the reaction she had feared. Her husband, Lachlan Jarvin, stood close by. He was always quiet, but didn't look all too happy about the prospect of his wife and unborn child being injected with Borg technology.

"Can that really work?" Dalby asked, not allowing time for an answer to the first question. "Why wouldn't a drone simply reprogram their nanoprobes to disconnect themselves from the Hive Mind to get away?"

"If a drone was connected to the Hive Mind, there would be no reason for it to reprogram their nanoprobes" Seven responded. "They are Borg. They are the Hive Mind. But you raise a good point Mister Dalby. If the Borg are aware of my nanoprobes resisting assimilation, a drone could inject more nanoprobes to overwhelm mine."

"Then we're back to square one," Dalby responded.

"Not quite," Seven said, but then turned to Chakotay to finish.

"Seven's nanoprobes will be programed to detect whether they are being attacked by the other nanoprobes or not," Chakotay continued. "If there is a threat they will be overwhelmed, Seven's nanoprobes will terminate the host body."

"We'll be killed?" This was from Miriah Henley again. Miriah was now almost full term and she held her abdomen as if she was protecting the unborn fetus within.

"Yes," Chakotay replied bluntly. "There is that risk." Chakotay glanced again to Seven by his side. She stood stoically, but he knew the tempest of feelings and emotions that were raging underneath the surface. He wanted to go and comfort her, but he would save that for later. "Seven and I, however, are adamant that there be no risk to anyone on the _Val Jean_ of becoming assimilated by the Borg. Not only would it pose a risk that the Borg would use that person's knowledge, it is a condition that Seven has demanded and I will honor her wishes. It's a failsafe that we insist upon."

"Are you saying we all must be injected with Seven's nanoprobes, or we're not going in?" Dalby asked.

"That's precisely what I'm saying," Chakotay said. "It is the last line of defense, and there will be no compromises. Seven's nanoprobes will remain dormant in our system unless needed. But all of us must be protected."

"Will my unborn child be protected?" Miriah asked.

T'Vora stepped forward from the side of the cargo bay and Chakotay was thankful to deflect some of the attention away from Seven. As the _Val Jean_'s de facto medical officer, she had been working closely with her on the nanoprobes. "Yes," T'Vora replied. "Seven and I have developed special nanoprobes for the mother which will transfer to the fetus and protect it as well from assimilation. We have plenty for both you and B'Elanna."

Chakotay noticed Tom Paris edge closer to B'Elanna. The two had recently asked him to perform a marriage ceremony and were married without much fanfare just a few weeks before. As the Captain of the _Val Jean_, it had been his privilege to preside over three such ceremonies during their time in the Delta Quadrant. He wondered idly what the protocol was if the Captain himself wished to marry, but his thoughts were interrupted by another question.

"What if we suspect we might be pregnant?" Jenny Delaney asked. She was one of the Star Fleet personnel who had come to the _Val Jean_ when _Voyager_ was destroyed and Chakotay immediately noticed Logan Pullman standing next to her with his hand on her shoulder. Logan was now in his thirties, but looked exactly the same as when Chakotay had recruited him into the Maquis on Yolani II. When had that all started?, Chakotay wondered. Perhaps his services as captain in that respect would be required yet again.

"We will ascertain whether you are pregnant or not before we proceed," T'Vora responded without blinking an eye. Although his Vulcan medical officer didn't seem to react to the news, others in the cargo bay appeared pleasantly surprised at the anticipation of yet another addition to the _Val Jean_ family.

At this point, Harry Kim stepped up to T'Vora and rolled his sleeve up. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready. We face risks every day. We lost Lon and Mike to the Kazon. Kurt to the Vidiians. Hell, there's a hostile alien species in every other system here in the Delta Quadrant. Let's go home already."

Some seemed to agree with Harry, but others held back and glanced amongst their friends. Chakotay couldn't help but think it was the prospect of being injected with Seven's nanoprobes that was the most unappealing aspect of the situation to many. Seven still stood stock still and expressionless, so he moved closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She seemed to jump at the contact, but then relaxed when she realized it was only him. He knew how difficult this was for her. Exposing these details of how different she was from the rest of them. How more like a Borg drone than a human.

Suddenly Marina Jor stepped up beside Harry. In the past month, Marina and Seven had become close. At first, Seven consulted with Marina to have her use her empathic ability in order to gain a better knowledge of the crew's mood. As it turned out, however, as time went on, the two of them started to become friends. Chakotay recalled when Marina had joined his cell and the _Val Jean_ with her friend Tabor. She had fire in her dark brown eyes, just as she had now.

"Harry's right," Marina said. "We have an opportunity to get back to the Alpha Quadrant. We can rejoin our friends in the Maquis. Get back to business." She then turned to Seven and added, "and if getting a few nanoprobes from Seven is required, I'm all for it. Hell, we might meet up with a Borg cube even if we don't use the transwarp hub. I want the inoculation even if we don't go in the nebula." She gave Seven a wink and then rolled up her sleeve ceremoniously as Harry had done.

Chakotay sensed a change in mood. Samantha Wildman was being pulled by her daughter Naomi and the two of them stepped forward next to join Harry and Marina. As they neared, Naomi went to Seven and gave her a hug. Seven dropped to a knee so she could return the hug all the better and Chakotay noticed that Seven was close to losing her composure.

Naomi's gesture was what turned the tide. In the end, the decision to proceed was unanimous. When T'Vora confirmed that Jenny was indeed pregnant, those remaining in the cargo bay cheered. About midway through, Seven left with Samantha and Naomi, but Chakotay stayed until the last of the crew were injected with nanoprobes.

Seska was the last to approach. She glared at Chakotay with a strange look before stepping up to T'Vora to get her injection.

When T'Vora finished, she turned to Chakotay. "That is the entire crew, Captain. We are ready." She then headed out of the cargo bay, leaving Seska and Chakotay alone.

"So now I have nanoprobes in my blood just like her," Seska said.

Seska looked angry, or hurt. It was hard for Chakotay to read her face. He had noticed her withdraw during the past month, however, and suspected she might be upset with his developing relationship with Seven.

"Seska. It would have never worked between us."

Seska laughed, but there was a bitterness to it. A multitude of emotions seemed to be playing just below the surface. "You flatter yourself Chakotay," she finally said, and rushed out of the cargo bay leaving Chakotay alone.

#

At 0900 hours ship time the next morning, all was set. Chakotay stood on the bridge with Seven, Rollins, and O'Connell. He opened a channel to the entire ship.

"This is an auspicious day," he began. "On the Bolian homeworld, it is the eighth day of Ykidstra - a celebration of life filled with festivals, food, and general merriment, and I apologize to Chell and Toran for my poor Bolian pronunciation. On Kronos, they are finishing a week long commemoration of Kahless's victory over Molar that occurred nearly two millennia ago. Now I know our chief engineer is not as interested in this as she might be, but Molar's defeat does mark the beginnings of the Klingon Empire and the final unification of the Klingon people. Today also marks the start of the Gratitude Festival on Bajor. So, to all the Bajorans among us, Peldor joi, with the hope that next year we can all attend and celebrate the festival together on Bajor. And finally, on Earth, it is December 7th of the year 2380 by the old calendar. There are a multitude of holidays and traditions from a variety of religions and cultures on Earth during this time, or any time of the year, but I would like to focus in on one of them. Six days from today, on December 13th, is the feast of Saint Lucia."

Chakotay glanced at Seven, who was standing beside him, and was rewarded with an upturn at the corner of her lips and a raising of her ocular implant.

"In Scandinavia, and the ancestral homeland of a member of our crew, this day marks a turning point in the year. The victory of light over darkness mirrored in the changing of the seasons and symbolizing our eternal struggle. The promise of springtime and the ushering in of a season of hope as we recognize a holy woman and her life.

"So, may the spirit of Ykidstra fill us, may the strength of Kahless lead us to honor, may we be forever grateful of our blessings, and finally, may Sankta Lucia pray for us and our success in our fight against the darkness."

#

On the outskirts of a Class 6 nebula, a small ship powers its warp drive and heads forth. The nebula stretches light years across and the tiny vessel is dwarfed by its vastness. The nebula itself is but a small collection of gas and stars in an even larger galaxy of over 400 billion suns, and the galaxy but one in a universe of over 100 billion such galaxies.

The ship disappears into the gas, a mote of dust in a maelstrom.

The thirty-five souls on the Maquis raider _Val Jean_, far from the sacred places of their grandparents and far from the bones of their people, move into the darkness and move inexorably closer to their future and destiny.

#

Author's note: Thanks again to scifiromance, The Cheshire Cheese, and Alaster Boneman for your reviews of the last chapter. I hope I've built up some anticipation and suspense for the final three chapters. What _will_ they find out about the Borg in the nebula? What's going on with Seska? And if they make it back to the Alpha Quadrant, what then?


	8. Through the Conduit

# Chapter 8 – Through the Conduit

The dust finally cleared as they passed through the young star's heliopause giving those on the _Val Jean_'s bridge its first view of the Borg trans-warp hub. They had traveled some of the way at low warp, but as they neared the center of the nebula and the source of the unique neutrino emissions, they slowed to impulse speed. A young red-orange star shown nearby, having cleared a cavity within the nebula, and the hub was in a distant orbit about this star. Although they had registered indications of tritanium hulled vessels with the passive sensors, they hadn't encountered any Borg ships on their way in.

"Impulse engines off," Chakotay ordered. "Let's let our momentum carry us for a bit."

Tom Paris, who manned the pilot station, turned the engines off. He was the _Val Jean_'s best pilot, and Chakotay wanted him at the helm during this critical time. Cathal O'Donnell sat beside him at tactical sensors and Seven was standing next to Chakotay at weapons control. The structure before them was immense, stretching for kilometers. No other Borg constructs were visible. No cubes. No spheres.

"Something's not right," Seven commented. "Look at the hub."

Indeed, much of the trans-warp hub seemed to be in ruins. On one side, the bright orange glow of the star and surrounding nebula illuminated twisted metal and broken apertures. Only a fraction of the hub appeared usable.

"I suppose that's the reason for the low level of activity we detected," Chakotay remarked. "Do you think Species 8472 did this?"

"Unknown," Seven replied.

"There are only a dozen or so apertures operational," Cathal reported. "No Borg vessels yet detected."

"Where are they?" Tom said nervously.

"They're here, Mister Paris," Seven said. "I assure you, they are here."

Chakotay scratched the back of his neck. This was not quite what they expected. "Can you get me a reading on what caused all that damage?" he finally asked.

Cathal consulted the sensors. "There's no indication of the energy signature consistent with the Species 8472 weapon," he replied. "If I were to guess, this was all caused by the Borg themselves."

"Impossible," Seven replied. "The Borg would not inflict injury on itself."

Cathal shrugged his shoulders. "All I'm saying is these readings are consistent with Borg weaponry."

The _Val Jean_ drifted closer to the hub, but at its current speed it would be at least an hour before they reached the apertures. The distances were so large, in fact, that it appeared as if they weren't moving at all. Chakotay was thankful there wasn't an immediate threat, but the mystery of the broken hub and lack of Borg vessels was unnerving. "Are any of the apertures active?"

"Six of them appear to be active," Cathal responded immediately, having been looking for the same thing. "But I'll have to fire up our lateral sensors to discover their exit points."

"That can wait," Chakotay said. He didn't want to attract attention. He also didn't like those odds. Six chances of making it to the Alpha Quadrant. What if none of the active apertures even went where they wanted. They would have to make that assessment when the time came and take the aperture that got them the closest, or exit the nebula all together.

"There's movement on the other side of the hub," Cathal said. "A single Borg sphere. Wait, there are three cubes emerging from the dust to port as well." Cathal shifted uncomfortably in his seat while the other three peered out to see if they could visually see the Borg vessels.

"I don't see them," Paris whispered.

"The cubes are not moving towards us, but the sphere is," Cathal responded as he consulted the sensors.

"At our current speed, it could intercept us well before we make it to the apertures," Tom remarked.

"A lot sooner than that," Cathal added. "It's speeding up and it's on an intercept course."

Both of them were sounding nervous. "Steady. Let's keep our cool," Chakotay said. "We expected some interest."

The Borg sphere approached cautiously, and then at still quite a bit of distance away, matched the _Val Jean_'s velocity. It was still outside of optimal weapons range, but close enough to look ominous.

"We're being scanned," Cathal commented.

Suddenly they could hear someone screaming, as if in terrible pain. All four on the bridge turned to see the source of the screaming, for it sounded like it was coming from right behind them. Dalby and Gerron, who were stationed with phasers in the galley, looked back at them with the same concern. The scream was coming from a lower deck. It suddenly ended, and then they all heard a female voice shout "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

Toran came online over the open comm. "_Captain, its T'Vora. She's doubled over in pain and holding her head. It started just seconds ago_."

For T'Vora, a Vulcan, to scream like that would mean her emotional restraint was compromised in some way. Chakotay turned to O'Donnell. "Could it be from the Borg scans?"

Cathal consulted the sensors and shook his head. "I don't know, sir. I don't recognize some of these readings, but the scan doesn't appear to have a high energy signature."

"_Captain, the Borg are transmitting some sort of neurological field_." It was Marina Jor and it sounded as if she was struggling with each word. She then moaned in pain before continuing with obvious effort. "_I think its targeting telepathic centers in the brain. I'm being affected to a degree as well due to my empathic abilities._ _The pain..._."

Chakotay turned to Paris. "How long until we can reach the apertures at full impulse?"

"Two minutes."

"Marina, how long can you hold on?" Chakotay asked desperately. They could still hear T'Vora, now moaning as well. There was a long pause, but Marina still didn't answer.

"They don't have two minutes Chakotay," Seven said.

Chakotay made a decision.

"Seven, target the sphere with phasers. Stop that Borg scan! Tom, full impulse to the apertures. Cathal, activate our lateral array and scan the six active apertures. Find out where they lead."

The _Val Jean_ lurched forward. The inertial dampers accommodated for most of the acceleration, but there was enough residual to make both Chakotay and Seven stumble.

"Phasers locked on target," Seven said calmly. "Firing."

Chakotay didn't have to hear from Seven the result of their attack on the Borg sphere for T'Vora's moans stopped immediately. "Marina, are you alright?"

There was a hesitation, and then Marina replied. "_I think so. It's stopped_."

"Go to T'Vora and see what you can do."

"_Aye sir_," she responded.

"Why would the Borg use a neurologicalscan?" Chakotay mused.

"It would be highly effective weapon against Species 8472," Seven speculated. "But that war is certainly well over by now."

"I've identified an aperture that leads to Federation space in the Alpha Quadrant," Cathal said. "Tom, I'm giving you the coordinates."

"Got them," Tom said immediately. "Redirecting. We're a hundred seconds from the aperture."

"Transport in progress from the sphere," Cathal said. "Three drones materializing in engineering."

Seven consulted her weapons display. "Their transporters are now off-line. Our feedback weapon has worked."

They heard phaser fire over the comm, evidently from engineering. There was some sounds of struggle, and then B'Elanna's voice. "_We got two of them, but the third now has a force field protecting him. He appears to be trying to access an engineering control station_."

"Don't let the drone interface with the ship," Seven shouted. "Do what you can to disable it."

"_We're trying_," B'Elanna replied, and then there was a loud crash and sounds of a struggle.

Seven looked at Chakotay with concern in her eyes. "I must go down to assist," she suddenly said.

Chakotay nodded, although he didn't want her anywhere near the Borg drone. Seven moved quickly off the bridge and disappeared down the central shaft. Chakotay took over at weapons control.

"There's another sphere emerging from the aperture we're heading for directly ahead," Tom said.

"The second sphere has weapons fully charged!" Cathal added.

#

Seven slide down the central shaft to the mid-level. On every spoke of the deck were _Val Jean_ crew with phasers ready. At the far end of one of the spokes, T'Vora lay on the floor with Marina bending over her and Toran standing nearby. The rest looked at her expectantly. Seven knew they all understood the gist of their situation, having heard it over the open comm. "Stay at your stations," she ordered, but then met Seska's eyes. Seska was one of the better crew members in a fight, and so in a spur of the moment decision, she added, "Seska, follow me."

As she made her way down to the lower level, the ship buffeted with the first impact of weapons on the shields.

"_Shields holding_," O'Donnell said. "_The second sphere is firing on both us and the first sphere_."

That didn't make sense. Why would a Borg vessel fire on another? Was it possible the Borg were in some sort of civil war? Seven made it to the lowest deck and turned into engineering. The Borg drone was standing in front of an engineering section, his tubules engaged into the interface. She noticed Torres was down and being protected by Chell. Otherwise Seven had no time to react. Rollins suddenly leaped and tackled the drone to the deck. The drone's personal shields went up, but it didn't stop Rollins' momentum from toppling them both over. The Borg retracted its tubules and moved to inject them into Rollins' neck, but he was too quick and rolled away.

The ship lurched again knocking Seven off balance.

"_The first sphere is trying to lock onto us with a tractor beam_."

"_Forty seconds to the aperture!_"

"_I'm firing all phaser banks to disable the tractor beam_."

"_Second sphere firing on the first_."

The chatter from the bridge continued, but Seven tuned it out. The drone stood and surveyed the area before moving again towards the engineering station. Its back was towards Seven, and she used this and his movement away from her to her advantage. She leaned over and ran applying all her strength to his midsection. The drone's personal shields engaged on contact, sending a jolt coursing through her, but he was again knocked off balance and fell to the floor. Seven employed the maneuver she had just witnessed Rollins perform and was well away from the drone by the time his arm was in position to try and inject her with more nanoprobes.

"We can't penetrate his personal shielding," Rollins commented. He was holding his shoulder, obviously having injured himself on his most recent tackle of the drone.

The drone again stood. This time, it spent slightly more time surveying the group in engineering. Chell stood over B'Elanna and pointed a phaser at the drone, even though the phaser was now useless. B'Elanna appeared to be unconscious, but Seven also noted a Borg device implanted in her shoulder having ripped through her shirt. B'Elanna had obviously been injected with nanoprobes and they were even now trying to assimilate her. Lachlan Jarvin and Megan Delaney both stood on the other side of the drone, preparing themselves to rush him again if the drone attempted to go to the same engineering station.

"Distract him," Seven shouted. The drone then turned to face Seven and started moving in her direction. Jarvis took this as his queue and stepped forward, jumped, and slammed against the drone with both his feet. Jarvis fell back and then scrambled to return next to Delaney. The drone was knocked off balance, but didn't fall. Instead, it turned and moved towards Jarvis and Delaney. This was precisely what Seven had been waiting for.

She rushed up behind the drone and formed her Borg enhanced hand into a point with all her fingers touching. Her own personal shield activated and formed a blunt tip, and she forced it through the drone's shield and into the armor below. She grabbed what she could and ripped it off the drone as sparks flew from the damaged component. The drone turned to her with a look of confusion and so she used its hesitation to again ram her fist through its shield and armor and into the flesh and bone of the drone's ribcage. The drone tried to grab her with both hands, but it was too late. Again Seven grabbed what was within reach of her Borg enhanced hand and yanked it out through the hole in the drone's armor and shield. The drone stood wide eyed for a second, and then fell forward onto Seven, lifeless.

#

"_We've entered the aperture and are in the trans-warp conduit. Both spheres are in pursuit_."

"_Transporters active from the second sphere_," O'Donnell said over the comm. "_Twelve drones have materialized in the cargo bay_."

Seska stared, still a little in shock herself, as Seven looked up from the drone she had just killed in front of her, a look of disgust on her face and blood covering her arm. Seven seemed dazed. They began to hear phaser fire from the cargo bay, but still Seven stared at her bloodied hand. Chell, Delaney and Jarvis all stood to go join the fight.

"Seven," Seska said. "Are you OK?" Seska moved in front of Seven to block the view of the drone and pulled her to her feet.

Seven looked back directly at Seska, but didn't seem to be seeing her. There was a cloud there, obviously caused by the shock of killing that drone with her bare hands. It had been a long time since Seska had done the same, in her previous life, but she recognized the shock. Sadly, it occurred to Seska, after a while you get over it. Is that the life that was waiting for her again?

Suddenly, Seven's expression cleared. "Come with me," she said slowly. She hesitated for a moment, but then turned and moved purposefully to the rear of the ship. Seska followed.

"_Two minutes until normal space_."

They were moments away from the alpha quadrant. Seska had been hiding something from the crew of the _Val Jean_, and even from herself. But now she realized this was it. Ever since that day when the Borg trans-warp hub was first discussed, she knew this time would come.

She would have to decide, who she was.

When they reached the end of the trans-warp conduit, she wouldn't be able to hide from her previous life any longer. Her Bajoran disguise would be useless. The Obsidian Order was both ruthless and efficient. They would find her. As an officer of the Obsidian Order, she would have been expected to destroy the _Val Jean_ long ago. In fact, it's possible they thought that was the reason the Maquis raider had disappeared in the Badlands in the first place. If Star Fleet got a hold of her… but she couldn't let that happen. She knew too much. And then there was Chakotay…

"Seska!" Seven shouted, this time breaking Seska from her thoughts. She quickly ran to catch up with Seven at the cargo bay's entrance. Phasers converged on the drones from all sides as _Val Jean_ crew stationed in the cargo bay and those who had gone there from engineering fired, but it was apparent their effectiveness was already gone. Borg shields protected the six remaining drones that were still standing. The drones started moving towards the phaser fire and all at once the phasers stopped.

Both Seven and Seska moved into the cargo bay to confront the drones. The drones themselves moved towards the _Val Jean_ defenders with their arms raised, intent on injecting nanoprobes into their victims for assimilation.

Seska had been a trained assassin and killer in the Obsidian Order. She _was_ used to killing with her bare hands. For the past decade, she had used many of her skills to aid Chakotay and the crew of the _Val Jean_. Stuck in the Delta Quadrant, she could forget about her original assignment: Infiltrate Chakotay's cell, acquire intelligence, destroy the _Val Jean_ and kill all the Maquis. She had seduced Chakotay to achieve her goals, but had she fallen in love with him along the way? Was she still in love with him? She had to push these thoughts aside as they prepared for hand to hand combat.

The next few minutes were a blur. Seven was the first to engage the Borg. Seska was impressed with her strength as she picked up one drone and threw it at another. After that, she was too busy fighting to notice much else. Only snippets of the struggle registered.

"Rollins, fall back!" she heard Seven scream, and a moment later she noticed Rollins on his hands and knees, a spider web of Borg technology growing from his cheek and temple. He must have been injected with nanoprobes, and they were starting the process of assimilation. Rollins, however, appeared to obey Seven's order. Evidently Seven's nanoprobes were still protecting his higher brain functions.

"_Sixty seconds to normal space_!" someone called over the comm, but the words were almost drowned out by the screams and noise of the fighting. Chell was down, possibly unconscious. Some of the screams were coming from Gabriel Hogan and Logan Pullman. Both had been injected with nanoprobes and the implants that were developing were causing immense pain. Seven, in the midst of the fighting, ordered them out of the cargo bay. Seska glimpsed Pullman dragging Chell with him, despite the pain he must have been in.

Two of the drones were dead, one was down, but the other three were still active. Seska felt helpless and yelled in frustration. The Borg armor prevented her from delivering deadly blows, and she felt with each swing, she was getting more bludgeoned than the drone. As she jumped on the back of one and wrapped her arm about its neck, she didn't notice a second drone approach from behind.

She suddenly felt a sharp pain on the side of her neck. An icy cold sensation ran down her back and into her legs, and the shock made her release her grip on the drone. She fell to the deck and the drone turned to look at her, and then moved off. She didn't see the other drone, but it ignored her as well. Seska lifted her hand up to feel her neck and came away with some blood on her fingers.

She had been injected with nanoprobes. As she looked at the blood in her fingers, the icy sensation moved down her arm. Suddenly there was a sharp pain on the back of her hand. She turned it over quickly to see a Borg component emerge from her skin, and like a growing spider web, encase the back of her hand with armor.

"Seska, fall back!" Seven yelled.

Seska watched in fascination as the Borg implant on her hand developed a sharp blade on its edge. The pain was immense. There was something else growing on her face and perhaps her left thigh. She stood and stumbled to the cargo bay entrance and then slumped to the floor. A half dozen _Val Jean_ crew were there, all in various stages of assimilation.

Seska was sitting against the bulkhead just outside the cargo bay doors. She looked at the Borg implant spreading on her thigh with both interest and disgust. It had ripped open her pants and was substituting her skin with a layer of Borg armor. She looked up and saw only Seven and Rollins were still fighting the two remaining Borg drones in the cargo bay, but the odds were against them. Rollins, despite the danger of getting injected a second time, was still in the fight.

"_We're exiting the conduit_!" Paris called over the comm.

All at once Seska realized she was in arms reach of the cargo bay controls. In moments, she could simply close the doors and evacuate the bay. The Borg drones would be swept out into space. It would save the ship, but sacrifice both Rollins and Seven. Seven… Chakotay's new lover.

Seska stood. Who was she anyway? Was she an officer of the Obsidian Order? Was she a loyal member of the _Val Jean _crew?

Was she still in love with Chakotay?

It was time to decide.

#

Captain Jean-Luc Picard stood up from his captain's chair and straightened his uniform. He turned to Lieutenant Commander Worf standing at tactical behind him and said, "Mister Worf, send a sub-space message to Star Fleet Command informing them we intercepted another incursion by a Borg Sphere near an identified exit of one of their trans-warp conduits. They fled back into trans-warp space once engaged and we are proceeding to grid two-two-nine."

"Aye sir," Worf replied.

Picard turned to his First Officer and added, "I'll be in my ready room Number One. You have the bridge."

Commnader William Riker nodded crisply and stood to move to the captain's chair. Picard took two steps away when Worf interrupted them both.

"Sir, another vessel is emerging from the trans-warp conduit."

"On screen!" Picard ordered, and turned to face the main viewscreen at the front of the bridge.

As they all watched, the trans-warp conduit opened and out of it emerged a small vessel. Immediately after it, two Borg spheres also emerged.

"What the devil," Picard said, and moved back to sit in the captain's chair. "Identify that lead ship."

Worf worked the sensors at tactical, and double checked his readings before answering. "It appears to be an old Maquis raider."

"Maquis?" Picard responded, surprised. As they watched, the two spheres fired on the Maquis raider and each other. All three appeared to be battling in a three-way fire fight and ignored the Enterprise entirely.

"I didn't realize any of the Maquis had survived the Dominion War," Riker commented. "What the hell are they doing here?"

"Scan the vessel," Picard said quickly. "How many are on board."

Again Worf worked the sensors. "I'm reading over thirty life signs…" he began, but then his voice trailed off.

"What is it Mister Worf?" Picard asked.

"Sir, there are signs of Borg throughout the ship. All the life signs have at least a faint but definite Borg signature. They all appear to be drones."

Picard frowned. The sight of the Maquis raider had given him some hope. As it turned out, it was simply another Borg vessel making an incursion into Federation space, and they had brought their civil war with them. Where this particular Borg faction had assimilated a Maquis raider was anyone's guess, but they must be desperate to be still using it.

"Arm photon torpedoes. Target all vessels and prepare to fire."

#

Author's note: Thank you scifiromance, The Cheshire Cheese, Alaster Boneman, Djsmith, and lizzy74656 for your reviews of the last chapter. Well, they _did_ make it back to the alpha quadrant...


	9. Back in the Alpha Quadrant

# Chapter 9 – Back in the Alpha Quadrant

Captain Jean-Luc Picard had his hand raised, ready to give the order to fire on the three Borg vessels which had intruded into Federation space. He didn't relish these encounters with the Borg. His experiences when he himself was assimilated, what he was forced to do at Wolf 359, haunted him still. The memories were made all the worse with these incessant skirmishes. But now, he paused. It was odd enough to encounter multiple Borg vessels, but the Maquis raider and two spheres seemed to be completely ignoring the _Enterprise_ as well. Why were they even here? Over the past decade, minor Borg factions occasionally probed Federation defenses, but in each case were repelled with superior Federation firepower. As for the major Borg factions, they appeared to be keeping away and rebuilding on their own back in the Delta Quadrant. The Borg had fragmented into these factions after a war with an unknown alien species, and since that time, had mostly fought amongst themselves. Projections hypothesized the Borg would eventually regroup around a dominant faction and merge back into a single Hive Mind, although that was just a theory. Intelligence about the Borg was slim at best. Picard hesitated. Something was not right.

"Ready to fire sir," Lieutenant Commander Worf said, as if to remind his captain that he was awaiting his orders. The Klingon security officer remained with his finger poised over the firing button.

Picard lowered his hand. "Mister Worf, can you identify if one of those spheres is the same sphere we repelled just minutes ago?"

Worf almost grunted in frustration, but then consulted the tactical scans as ordered. "Yes Captain," he replied. "The sphere closest to the Maquis vessel."

"Why the devil did they come back?"

"Captain," Commander Deanna Troi interrupted. "I'm sensing unusual emotions on the Maquis ship."

Picard turned to Troi. "How so counselor?"

"Unusual in that I sense anything at all," Deanna explained. "If they were just Borg drones on that ship, I wouldn't sense them in this way as individuals."

"Mister Worf, could your readings of the drones on that ship be in error?"

Worf bristled at the suggestion, but examined the sensor readings yet again. "As I said Captain, all the life signs have a faint but definite Borg signature." He then hesitated and added, "I do detect children on board, and there are no signs of active maturation chambers."

That was yet another mystery about the appearance of the Maquis raider. The Maquis. Another open wound of sorts for Picard. Their presence, however, offered an opportunity to gain some other information. There was some unfinished business. Picard made a decision. "Fire on the two spheres and lock a tractor beam on that Maquis raider."

"Aye sir," Worf responded, and immediately photon torpedoes leapt from the _Enterprise_ and impacted both spheres' shields. The torpedoes inflicted some damage. Federation technology had advanced whereas the defenses of these minor Borg factions remained about the same. The small spheres were no match for the _Enterprise_, and they knew it, even if they were to coordinate their attack. Soon enough, the trans-warp conduit reopened and the spheres retreated.

"The Maquis ship is trying to break free of the tractor beam and go to warp," Worf said.

"Open a channel," Picard ordered.

"Channel open."

"Maquis vessel. This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship _Enterprise_. Stand down your engines and prepare to be boarded."

They were met with static. "No response," Worf said after a time. "I'm uncertain if their comm is working. It may have been damaged in their conflict with the spheres. They have stopped their attempt to break free."

Picard snorted. Knowing the Maquis of old that could easily change. Picard rubbed his chin in thought. Who were these people and what were they up to? And most importantly, why did they just emerge from a Borg trans-warp conduit? "Mister Worf," he ordered. "Prepare an armed boarding party and go take a look."

#

Worf and six other security members materialized in the Maquis raider's cargo bay. A woman was leaning over two others in the center of the bay, and a dozen Borg drones lay in broken heaps on the floor. The evidence was of a recent struggle that had ended just moments before.

The woman stood and turned to face Worf and the security team. Her clothes were blood stained and torn and it was evident now that she appeared to in the process of being assimilated. A Borg appendage covered her right hand and formed into what looked like a blade. The appendage was slick with blood. Other components covered much of her left thigh and below her eye on the right side of her face.

The woman snarled and stepped between the security team and the two on the floor. "Stand back!" she yelled and raised her arm as if readying to attack. The two on the ground were unconscious and exhibited indications of also being partially assimilated. The woman was obviously positioning herself to protect the two behind her.

Worf scanned the cargo bay quickly. In addition to the twelve Borg drones, there were a half dozen or more others just outside the cargo bay entrance. All of them were also in varying states of assimilation but held phasers aimed at Worf and the security team just the same. Still others were arriving behind them. These Maquis appeared to be unscathed, but all of them were armed as well. If shooting began, his team would be severely outnumbered.

"We are not here to harm you," Worf stated loudly so all could here. "I am Lieutenant Commander Worf of the Federation starship _Enterprise_. Who is in command here?"

The woman facing them turned to look down at one of the two Maquis behind her. She appeared undecided about whether to continue facing against the team of _Enterprise_ security officers, or return to the side of her fallen companions.

"I am," a man with a tattoo on his temple answered. He had just stepped into the cargo bay and was guiding a Vulcan woman who appeared injured. A dark haired woman was also supporting the Vulcan on the other side. Upon seeing the two laying on the cargo bay floor, however, the Maquis commanding officer released his hold on the Vulcan and moved swiftly to them. "Seska?" he asked, addressing the Maquis with the Borg blade appendage.

"I think they're just unconscious," Seska replied. "Rollins was injected with nanoprobes a second time, so I had to knock him out because I wasn't sure what might happen. Seven was struggling with the last drone when I took him from behind. She collapsed to the floor when the fighting was done, and then…" She gestured to Worf and his team.

The Maquis commanding officer knelt down beside both fallen Maquis and checked their pulse and breathing, and then turned to face Lieutenant Commander Worf. "We have wounded. Please, we need to get them to your ship's sickbay immediately."

"Who exactly am I addressing?" Worf demanded.

"Captain Chakotay of the Maquis ship _Val Jean_."

"Captain Chakotay," Worf began. "You have crew members who are being assimilated by Borg technology. Even now they may be integrated into the particular Borg faction. We can't risk bringing them aboard the _Enterprise_."

"No one here has been assimilated by the Borg," Chakotay countered. "Look around you. We protected ourselves so our minds could not be integrated with the Hive Mind."

Worf took a closer look at the partially assimilated crew members. Indeed, none of them acted as a Borg drone would. They were looking about and whispering with one another. "How is this possible?" Worf asked incredulous.

"Using their own Borg nanoprobes. Scan us if you like. We all have Borg nanoprobes in our blood which were modified to protect our higher brain functions."

Worf put away his phaser and produced a tricorder. Indeed, he observed the same readings as when they were scanning the Maquis ship before. All the Maquis, even Chakotay and those who didn't exhibit any Borg components on their person, registered a faint Borg signature.

"How did you achieve this?" Worf asked, now a note of admiration in his voice.

"Commander, we're wasting time. Please, I will tell you everything you wish to know, but first let us tend to the injured."

Worf nodded and tapped his comm badge. "Worf to _Enterprise_. I am here with Captain Chakotay of the _Val Jean_. There are dozen or more wounded Maquis in various stages of assimilation. Request permission to have them beamed directly to sickbay."

"_Is it safe Commander_?" Picard asked.

"Yes. They have somehow protected themselves from being assimilated into the Borg faction's Hive Mind using the same Borg technology against them."

There was a long hesitation. Worf wondered what Captain Picard was considering, but then finally, "_Permission granted_. _Prepare the full crew of the Val Jean to beam aboard the Enterprise as our guests_."

"I would rather have some of my crew remain aboard," Chakotay answered.

"_It is true the Maquis Amnesty of 2379 extends to you and your crew_," Picard answered. "_But I insist you all transfer to the Enterprise for evaluation and questioning. Of course, we'll attend to your wounded first_."

It appeared as if Chakotay was going to protest further, but Seska stepped up to him and put her un-bladed hand on his shoulder. "We need their help," she said softly. "For now, we should cooperate." She seemed a bit unsteady on her feet, and Chakotay had to reach out to keep her from falling. When he pulled his hand away, it was covered with blood. Her blood.

"I agree to your terms," Chakotay finally said. "Let's get our wounded to your sickbay."

"_That will be fine. I look forward to meeting with you, Commander_."

Worf turned to one of his security officers. "Jacobs, go with this group immediately." He was gesturing to Seska and the two Maquis still unconscious on the cargo bay floor.

Chakotay, who was now supporting Seska, said "I'll go with this group as well." Worf nodded in agreement, and almost immediately afterwards, Jacobs and the four Maquis disappeared in a transporter beam.

Worf then stepped forward and assembled the remaining wounded Maquis for the next transport to the _Enterprise_. There were eight other wounded, although the dark-haired woman who was helping the Vulcan female refused to leave her side, and so transported over as well.

The remaining uninjured Maquis crew looked at Worf and his security team suspiciously, but didn't cause any problems. They had obviously just been through hell, and although they could have probably overpowered Worf and his team, there was nothing they could do to get away from the _Enterprise_. They were asked to leave their phasers behind and to prepare the _Val Jean_ for towing. It took only ten minutes or so, and then the entire ship's compliment was transported as a group to one of the _Enterprise_'s cargo bays for processing.

#

Chakotay entered Picard's ready room. He had remained in sickbay for nearly an hour as the _Enterprise_'s medical staff tended to the _Val Jean_ wounded. The security guard who had escorted him to the bridge remained outside. Picard was standing by the replicator, and when the door closed, he said. "Welcome Commander. Please, take a seat. Would you care for anything?"

"Some green tea perhaps," Chakotay answered.

Picard turned to the replicator. "Tea, Earl Grey, hot. And, a cup of green tea."

The two cups materialized within the replicator, and Picard took both back to his desk, placing the cup of green tea in front of the seat across from his own. Chakotay sat, picked up the tea, and took a sip.

"Thank you Captain," Chakotay said and sat down. "I appreciate you swiftly attending to my injured crew."

Picard simply nodded.

"You had mentioned a Maquis Amnesty of 2379," Chakotay added.

"Indeed," Picard said. "But I fear there are some things you are uninformed of regarding the Maquis."

Chakotay sipped his tea and Picard settled back into his chair.

"I presume you are unaware of events in the Alpha Quadrant from the time the _Val Jean_ and _Voyager_ were both assumed lost in the Badlands," Picard began.

"That's correct," Chakotay responded. "Both _Voyager_ and the _Val Jean_ were drawn into the Delta Quadrant by an entity known as the Caretaker. An alien who was overseeing a subterranean people known as the Ocompa."

"Apparently some of _Voyager_'s crew survived," Picard commented, eyeing Chakotay's reaction.

"Twelve in all," Chakotay responded. "Captain Janeway and I had teamed up to discover a way back home. A hostile race known as the Kazon wanted to gain control of the Caretaker's array. In the fire fight that followed, Captain Janeway and most of _Voyager_'s crew were killed. We were only able to save those on _Voyager_'s bridge before their warp core went critical and destroyed the ship and the array."

Picard nodded. He had been briefed on much of this in the interim while Chakotay was still in sickbay. It was obvious that Chakotay and his group had many interesting tales to tell of their time in the Delta Quadrant. "My security chief has interviewed some of the _Voyager_ survivors," he said. "They seem reluctant to talk with us without your consent."

"It's been a struggle these past ten years," Chakotay replied, as a way of explanation. "We have all grown close as we've made our way back home."

Picard leaned back in his chair and regarded the man in front of him. The appearance of the Maquis ship had dredged up uncomfortable memories for him. Some fine officers had been lured into the Maquis' cause and had paid for it with their lives. Before his disappearance and presumed death, this man in front of him had been one of their most successful leaders. Picard realized he still felt resentment. It would be best to get this over with.

"Your group," Picard began, deciding to simply be blunt, "represents the bulk of the remaining Maquis. About two years after your disappearance, Cardassia allied themselves with the Dominion, a powerful alliance in the Gamma Quadrant with access to our space through the Bajoran wormhole. A fleet of Jem'Hadar warships, part of the Dominion, augmented the Cardassians and destroyed all Maquis resistance in less than three days."

Chakotay was shocked and the color drained from his face. He placed the tea cup on the edge of Picard's desk. "Survivors?" he asked.

"Only a few," Picard replied. "Mostly those who had been captured and incarcerated in Federation penal colonies." Picard looked away and added, "there are still some listed as missing, but the likelihood is they are all dead."

Chakotay stood shakily. "I have to go inform my crew," he said.

Picard regarded Chakotay. He felt a small satisfaction that the news had shaken him. Picard had no love for the Maquis. Many lives were lost and careers of fine officers ruined because of their folly. "We did win the Dominion war," Picard added. "The amnesty I spoke of was in hope of allowing those Maquis possibly still in hiding a chance to rejoin society."

"Were there any in hiding?" Chakotay asked hopeful.

"You are the first," Picard replied.

#

Captain Jean-Luc Picard entered sickbay. Every biobed was occupied with _Val Jean_ wounded. Others were laying on makeshift accommodations. About half of these _Val Jean_ crewmen were being attended to by the sickbay staff while the others still lay unconscious. Doctor Beverley Crusher stood overlooking it all and turned as Picard approached.

"Report Doctor," Picard stated.

Doctor Crusher scanned the group. "Most of them were only in the early stages of assimilation," she began. "It was a relatively easy procedure to extract the Borg components and expunge their systems of the remaining Borg technology." She stepped over to a biobed where a Vulcan female lay. "This one appears to have been attacked with the neurological weapon consistent with our recent Borg encounters. She wasn't shielded, although the duration of exposure appears to have been limited and her mind is still repairing itself. I've asked Doctor Selar to perform a mind meld when appropriate to aid the process."

Picard stepped up next to the biobed. "T'Vora," he stated.

"You know her?"

He shook his head. "I know of her. A brilliant scientist. The Vulcan Science Academy will welcome her return from the dead. Their quantum chromodynamics department has suffered greatly in her absence."

Beside the biobed, another Maquis had pulled up a chair. She appeared uninjured and Picard vaguely recognized her as well. Doctor Crusher noticed the two were appraising each other and said, "Captain Jean-Luc Picard, meet Miss Marina Jor. She has refused to leave T'Vora's side."

"I was ordered to attend to her," Marina explained, "and so I intend to carry out those orders until told to do otherwise."

"Jor," Picard stated, as if considering the name. "Are you related to Ambassador Jor from Betazed?"

Marina nodded reluctantly. "She is my mother."

Picard raised his eyebrows. "Indeed. There is a striking resemblance. I met the ambassador once, several years ago. She mentioned a daughter, and how much she missed her."

"That doesn't sound like mother," Marina said. She continued to eye Picard suspiciously.

Picard frowned. Chakotay's group was an interesting lot indeed. Renegade officers, a remnant of a starship crew who seemed more loyal now to the Maquis than Star Fleet, an admiral's son, a prominent Vulcan scientist, and now an ambassador's daughter. Who else might be hiding in this rabble? "I think, Miss Jor, you should join your friends. Report to Commander Chakotay, there are some things you should be aware of." He motioned to T'Vora and added, "we can take it from here. Your charge is in good hands."

Marina's eyes shifted from Picard to Doctor Crusher, and then she stood slowly. When she did, a security guard who had been hovering near the door stepped forward, and it was evident he would escort her to the rest of the _Val Jean_ group. "I will report to _Captain_ Chakotay," Marina said, her dark eyes flashing, "and then return." She left without another word, but didn't attempt to hide the animosity she felt.

When she was gone, Doctor Crusher turned to face the other end of sickbay. "From the snippets of conversation I've had with her and some of the patients," she commented, "they don't seem too happy being here. Even Lieutenant Rollins, who was a bridge officer on _Voyager_, seems more concerned with reporting back to Captain Chakotay than to Star Fleet."

"I've noticed," Picard fumed. "There are a dozen _Voyager_ crewman who were supposedly rescued by Commander Chakotay and the _Val Jean_ in the Delta Quadrant. It's hard to believe that their loyalties now lie with him."

Doctor Crusher gave Picard a strange look, but then decided to ignore the comment. "Well, it appears we also have a couple of other mysteries on our hands, Jean-Luc."

"How so?"

Doctor Crusher motioned to a biobed where a Bajoran female lay. "Her name is Seska," she began. "The ambassador's daughter revealed that much, but otherwise was reluctant to tell me anything else about her."

"There were many Bajoran seduced by the Maquis," Picard commented, resentment thick in his voice.

"Not like this one," Crusher replied. "It's hard, given that the Borg assimilation process disrupted her body down to the genetic level, but this Seska shows many markers consistent with Cardassian physiology."

Picard stepped forward to examine the woman more closely. "Bajoran and Cardassian genomes are very similar," he commented.

Crusher nodded. "That's true, but there is some evidence of surgical altering," she said. "But it's inconclusive given the damage caused by the Borg assimilation. At the very least, however, I would say this woman has Cardassian ancestors. A parent even, or at least a grandparent."

Picard grunted. "It was not unheard of," he commented. "During the occupation, there were instances of the Cardassian overlords impregnating Bajoran women they enslaved. The offspring were often outcasts and shunned by both the Cardassians and Bajorans."

"In this case," Crusher mused, "she was perhaps surgically altered to suppress her Cardassian features, so she could pass more easily as Bajoran."

"Only to waste her life by joining a hopeless cause," Picard said. He chuckled at the thought of Commander Chakotay having a Cardassian on his crew without his knowledge. He disliked the Maquis and regarded them as a misguided group of criminals. If he could have his way, he would like to see Commander Chakotay court martialed for his actions, but under the Maquis Amnesty, they were all forgiven for their past transgressions. Hell, Commander Chakotay might even be offered his commission back. As one of the more senior ranking Star Fleet officers who defected to the Maquis, however, Chakotay more than others was responsible for luring junior officers into the Maquis. Seeing this young Bajoran, it reminded him of another who had been seduced by the ideals of their cause. "What of the other mystery Doctor?" Picard asked, wanting to push these memories from his mind.

Crusher stepped up to the next biobed. On it lay a human female. Unlike the others, however, a few remaining Borg implants remained above her eye and on her hand and arm. She had striking features with short blonde hair. "Miss Jor referred to this woman as Seven, but again refused to give any further information."

"Seven? Why haven't you removed all of the Borg implants?"

"I removed as much as I could, Jean-Luc. The Borg components, however, are so integrated with her brain, skeletal structure, muscles, and vital organs, I can't do anything else right now. I would have to research her case in greater detail before I attempt anything more."

"I was fully assimilated," Picard protested, "and you were able to remove the Borg components from me. Even from my brain."

"The Borg components within her body are much more extensive," Crusher replied.

"What are you saying?"

"I suspect she was assimilated as a child and has had these components for perhaps twenty years or more."

Picard looked back in shock. That was unprecedented. "How long has it been disconnected from the Borg?"

"I don't know. We'll have to ask her when she comes around." Crusher paused and appeared annoyed with Picard, although he ignored her.

No one knew the Borg like he knew the Borg. Picard was convinced the growing menace would soon draw Star Fleet and the Federation back into open hostilities. He sighed. The Maquis _and_ the Borg.

Doctor Crusher consulted the PADD she was holding. "There's one more thing Jean-Luc. The nanoprobes within this woman's bloodstream are the same nanoprobes found in the rest of the _Val Jean_ crew."

Picard became fully attentive. "Worf mentioned the Maquis had somehow inoculated themselves against assimilation using some sort of Borg technology against them. Is it possible these nanoprobes were used?"

"Very possible. If they discovered a way to reprogram them, the nanoprobes would be capable of all sorts of amazing things."

Picard regarded the drone before him. Star Fleet Command would be very much interested in interrogating it to discover how to use the nanoprobes in this fashion. It might be just the intelligence and advantage they needed in their escalating struggle with the Borg, and this drone might hold the key.

"Good work Doctor," Picard said. "I must transmit this information to Star Fleet Command immediately. Inform me when it regains consciousness."

#

Seven opened her eyes to bright lights.

"I'm right here Seven," Chakotay soothed. "You are on the Federation Starship _Enterprise_, in their sickbay. We are in the Alpha Quadrant. We made it."

Seven was laying on her back. She noticed that Chakotay held her right hand in both of his, and she gave it a weak squeeze. Her body felt different, as if her skin was more sensitive to touch. It also felt as if her head had something wrapped around it, so she brought up her free hand to touch it. What she touched was a short crop of hair, and she turned to Chakotay confused. "What have they done to me?"

"Doctor Crusher has removed significantly more Borg components than we were ever able to do," Chakotay explained. "All of the remaining Borg exoskeleton is gone, as well as many of the internal components." Noticing Seven tugging lightly at her own hair, he added, "She was able to stimulate the follicles on your scalp to grow your natural hair again, and has restored your blood to a degree that your skin is now a natural flesh tone."

Seven released her hair and lifted her left hand before her to get a better view. Indeed, if you could ignore the gray metallic web of the Borg structure that remained, she looked almost human.

"You look beautiful," Chakotay added.

The doors to sickbay swished open, and Seven turned her head. An older bald-headed man walked swiftly in. He looked vaguely familiar to Seven, and as he approached, she suddenly recoiled in horror. It was involuntary, triggered by an old memory. Realizing her error, she quickly settled down, but the panic still showed in her eyes. "Captain Jean-Luc Picard," she whispered.

"You know me?" Picard asked. He was standing now at the foot of Seven's biobed.

Seven studied his face. "No," she finally said. "Just a memory. I apologize."

"A memory of what?" Picard pressed.

Seven hesitated, and then finally said. "Of Locutus and Wolf 359."

"You were there?"

"The Borg was there, and so in a way, I was as well."

A cloud passed over Picard's expression. He seemed to at once become angry. "The Borg violated me," he spat. "I couldn't stop them. I wasn't strong enough." There was venom in his voice. It was clear he held a very real hatred towards the Borg.

Seven could feel the pressure of Chakotay's grip increase, and it made her feel as if he was attempting to strengthen her. It made all the difference. "I understand," she said.

"Understand?" Picard shot back.

"The Borg," Seven replied. "You were a drone for just a few days. I was a drone for eighteen years." She raised her left hand again to show the Borg components that remained. "And I've had to live with it ever since."

Picard's eyes narrowed and for the first time he seemed uncertain. "And you apparently have the ability to reprogram the nanoprobes in your blood," he finally said.

Seven glanced briefly to Chakotay and then returned her gaze to Picard. "Yes."

Some certainty returned as he hardened his features. "Star Fleet Command is very much interested in this," Picard said. "We are on our way now to Starbase Twelve where you'll be transferred to Star Fleet Research."

"You told me we would be free to go," Chakotay interrupted. "The Maquis Amnesty of 2379."

"The Maquis are all free to go," Picard replied, but his face was troubled. "But this… she has key tactical and strategic information that Star Fleet Command requires in our ongoing hostilities with the Borg. It is only a matter of time until the Borg pose a significant threat again. Her knowledge may allow us to preemptively strike against the Borg before they strengthen too much. And besides… she… is not Maquis."

Chakotay stood ready for a fight. Seven had seen that look before. But before he could respond, alarms started to sound. A voice came over the ship wide comm.

"_Red alert. Red alert. All hands to battle stations_."

Picard touched his comm badge.

"Picard to bridge. Number One, what's going on?"

"_Three Borg cubes have just emerged from the trans-warp conduit. They've powered up weapons and are on an intercept course_."

#

Author's note: Please review and let me know what you think. Thank you scifiromance, The Cheshire Cheese, Alaster Boneman, and lizzy74656 for your reviews of the last chapter. I'm thinking one final chapter to go.


	10. A New Start

# Chapter 10 – A New Start

Picard turned to leave sickbay, but then hesitated. The alarms were still blaring, but he appeared to be oblivious of them. He was weighing something in his mind. After a moment he turned back to face Seven. "Can you still hear the voices?" he asked tentatively.

Seven was now sitting up on her biobed. Chakotay was at her side, ready to confront Picard if necessary, while Doctor Beverly Crusher stood behind them both. The only one else in sickbay was T'Vora who remained on another nearby biobed still unconscious. The rest of the _Val Jean_ crew had already been discharged and were with the others. "What do you mean?" Seven asked.

"The Borg. Do you still hear the voices of the Hive Mind?"

Seven's eyes widened slightly. "I don't want to hear them," she confessed. The thought of the Borg back in her mind disturbed her. The total loss of control and individuality. The things she was forced to do.

Picard seemed to waver, but then stepped forward to Seven's biobed. "Seven," he said. "Listen to me. Years after I was disconnected from the Borg, even with no Borg implants remaining within me, there was still a residual connection. When the Borg returned with a single cube to attack Earth, I was able to use that connection to eavesdrop on the Hive Mind's thoughts. I could hear them think."

"Seven wants nothing to do with the Borg," Chakotay interrupted. He stepped forward and placed his arm down on the biobed, as if to block Seven from these suggestions.

"But don't you see," Picard replied looking back and forth between both of them. He pursed his lips. "Three cubes imply this is a major Borg faction. This incursion is extremely unusual for the Borg since their civil war began. It would be advantageous for us to understand their motivation, if we can, before we engage them."

"_Borg cubes are closing sir_," Commander Riker's voice came over the comm. "_Towing the Val Jean is slowing us down_."

"Just a minute Number One," Picard replied impatiently. There was desperation in his eyes.

Seven regarded the man in front of her. Moments before he had stated his intent to turn her over to Star Fleet Research, but now there was a subtle change in his voice and manner. He was looking at her differently. She lifted Chakotay's arm from the biobed and placed his hand in hers, and then to Picard said, "I can try Captain. How should I proceed?"

Picard stepped up closer, as if he was going to divulge a secret. "I'm not certain. The voices were simply always there when the Borg were nearby. For some reason now, however, I can't hear them anymore. Close your eyes. Listen for them."

Seven did as he instructed. At first, there was nothing. She could feel Chakotay's presence close to her, the tension in his body transmitted through their contact. She could hear Picard and the Doctor's breathing as well. The rest of sickbay was silent. And then, a whisper, as if catching a half heard conversation just barely audible through the wall. A many-voiced ghost began to speak in her mind. It was terrifying.

"Don't be frightened Seven," she heard Picard say. "Just listen to their thoughts."

She realized after a moment that she was holding Chakotay's arm with both her hands now. He was bending down over the biobed for she had been pulling on him. "Don't worry Seven, I'm here," Chakotay reassured her.

She closed her eyes again, and the voices were closer, whispering their thoughts into her mind. Many voices. A cacophony of thought.

"They're interested in the _Val Jean_," Seven whispered as the thoughts took shape, ebbing and flowing like a tide. She then winced. It was too much like her time connected to the Hive Mind, and the memories were like a raw nerve just exposed. She felt Chakotay put his other arm around her, and so she moved closer to him for comfort and support. No one else breathed. "The spheres were assimilated. How did they resist?" she said.

"The spheres?" Picard asked.

"No, the _Val Jean_." Seven corrected. "How did the _Val Jean_ resist?"

"What of the _Enterprise_? What is their interest?" Picard probed further.

The voices were now louder. Too many of them. Waves breaking on the shore, threatening to engulf her and pull her in. A swirling chaos of thought. Too much like the Hive Mind. "How do I make them stop?" Seven asked, some fear in her voice.

Picard moved up closer to Seven. "It is just their thoughts." he said. "They are not really here. Open your eyes You are an individual Seven. They are not here. You are not Borg."

Seven opened her eyes, but they refused to focus. The Borg were aware of her presence in their mind. Could they read her thoughts as well? No. They were searching, but she was hidden.

"Seven, you are an individual," Picard repeated. "The Borg have no hold on you."

The voices waned and were now back to whispers. A door was shut. The sound of waves on a distant beach. Her grip on Chakotay's arm slackened a bit. The voices were almost gone. Seven sighed heavily. Her heart was racing. It was an experience she didn't ever want to repeat. She looked up at Picard who seemed to be regarding both her and Chakotay with curiosity. They were both still tangled together in an awkward embrace.

"Did you learn anything more?" Chakotay asked.

"This Borg faction assimilated the two spheres when they returned to the trans-warp hub," Seven explained, filling in the details. "They now wonder how the _Val Jean_ was able to resist. This faction wants to assimilate that knowledge by assimilated the _Val Jean_."

Picard was the first to realize the implications. "Does the _Val Jean_'s computer core contain the nanoprobe information?" Picard asked.

Seven nodded, and then glanced to T'Vora, still lying unconscious on a nearby biobed. "T'Vora was helping me," she said. "Her hope was to duplicate the procedure without the need to have me as a donor. She was close to a solution, but all her research is on the _Val Jean_'s computers."

"And perhaps elsewhere," Chakotay added. "T'Vora was always carrying around a PADD."

Picard turned to Doctor Crusher. "Can we revive T'Vora?"

Crusher shook her head. "I wouldn't advise it. Selar has not yet performed the requisite mine meld."

"I know where to find her PADD," Seven interjected.

"Then there's not a moment to lose," Picard replied. "We must retrieve the _Val Jean_'s computer core and any other vital information." Picard then turned to Chakotay. "Your logs from the past ten years hold priceless information about the Delta Quadrant. We can't lose that either."

There was a sound of distant explosions, and the inertial dampers didn't remove all the residual shaking.

"_We're under attack by the lead cube_," Riker commented over the comm. "_Returning fire_."

"What of the _Enterprise_?" Picard repeated his earlier question to Seven, a sense of urgency in his voice.

Seven hesitated. "I don't think anything specific," she finally said. "Only a feeling. A thought. 'Not yet.'"

A chilling thought at that. Picard touched his comm badge, "Number One, how long can we hold out against the Borg assault?"

"_If we dump the Val Jean, I think we're in pretty good shape. The Borg cube's weapons are more sophisticated than the spheres, but our shields are holding_. _It would be a stalemate_."

"No, keep our shields extended around the _Val Jean_."

"_In that case, I can give you ten minutes, maybe fifteen. After that, we'll have no choice but to retract the shields and turn tail and run_."

"The Borg knows the _Enterprise_ won't be able to protect the _Val Jean_ indefinitely," Seven confirmed.

"Understood. You have the bridge Number One. Picard out." Picard then turned to Chakotay and Seven and said, "We need to get to the transporter room and get you over to the _Val Jean_."

Chakotay helped Seven off the biobed. She was a little shaky on her feet, so Chakotay kept his arm around her waist. "We'll need B'Elanna for the computer core," Chakotay said.

"And Seska," Seven added. "The two of them together will make the work go more quickly. It should be the four of us that go."

Chakotay nodded, and Picard tapped his comm badge again. "Picard to Commander Worf."

"_Yes Captain_?"

"Contact the _Val Jean_ crew and have B'Elanna and Seska escorted to transporter room three immediately. Beam them there if you have to. And Mister Worf, arm all the _Val Jean_ crew with phasers in case we're boarded."

"_Yes sir._ _Understood_."

Picard moved to the sickbay exit. "Come quickly, we have little time."

The three of them made their way through the _Enterprise_ to transporter room three. Seven felt different. Lighter without the Borg armor and more exposed. It was a strange sensation to feel the hair on her head move, and a hundred other things. The remaining Borg implants on her skin were irritated as they rubbed against the fabric of her outfit. Chakotay's powerful arms held her, and with each step, she felt more comfortable.

They turned a corner and then entered the transporter room. B'Elanna and Seska were already there waiting for them.

"You're relieved chief," Picard said to the duty officer, "report to Engineering."

"Aye sir," the chief replied, and left without question.

"What the hell is going on?" B'Elanna asked.

"Are we being attacked by the Borg?" Seska added gesturing to the ceiling, and as if on cue, there were more distant sounds of explosions as weapons fire impacted against the _Enterprise_'s shields.

"The Borg want the _Val Jean_," Chakotay explained as Picard moved to the transporter controls. "This particular faction wants to know how we resisted assimilation. We must go back and retrieve the computer core and what we can in the next few minutes while the _Enterprise_'s shields are still protecting it."

B'Elanna looked stunned. "What of all our personal items?"

"I'll see what I can do," Chakotay said, ushering the others onto the transporter pad. "You and Seska, get the core. Seven and I need to first collect T'Vora's notes on the nanoprobes and wipe the active memory on the bridge interface. After that, we can try and pick up anything else in the time we have."

As they were talking, they had moved onto the transporter pads, and so the four were now assembled there. The _Enterprise_ shook again from another hit on the shields by Borg weapons. Chakotay looked at Picard and nodded.

"Good luck… Captain," Picard said, a peculiar look on his face as he said the last word, and activated the controls. The four disappeared and rematerialized in the _Val Jean_'s cargo bay. The Borg drones were still scattered on the floor where they had fallen. There was an eerie stillness to the cargo bay, as if the _Val Jean_ itself knew it was near its end.

"Back here in five minutes," Chakotay ordered, more to break the silence than to remind the others of the limited time.

B'Elanna and Seska moved off together towards engineering and the access tubes.

"You go directly to T'Vora's quarters and get her PADD," Chakotay said to Seven as the two followed towards the central shaft. "I'll head to the bridge and upper deck and pick up some odds and ends."

"Mementos?" Seven queried.

They reached the central shaft and started climbing. "This crew spent ten years in the Delta Quadrant," Chakotay replied. "There's a bag in my quarters. I intend to stuff it with as much as I can after I wipe the memory buffer on the bridge."

"I'll do the same on the middle deck," Seven replied. "Meet me here after you finish up there." She was behind Chakotay and stepped off onto the middle deck. Chakotay continued to the upper deck.

Seven went directly to T'Vora's quarters. T'Vora shared her quarters with Marina Jor, and one glance was enough to determine which side each belonged to. The PADD was perched neatly by the side of T'Vora's bed on a small table as Seven suspected. She had spent a number of occasions in this room in the past month as she and Marina had become friends. Beside the PADD was what looked like a medallion. Seven vaguely recognized it as an IDIC meditation icon, and snatched up both. She looked about the quarters and picked up a pair of pants draped over the end of Marina's bed. After tying the legs shut, she put the PADD and icon into it, intending to use it to carry what she could find. She could only spend seconds in each room if there was any hope of getting through the entire ship in the time allowed. She looked about frantically to try and ascertain what might be most important to her friend. Finally, she saw a holo-imager and some jewelry on the small table beside Marina's bed. She swept her hand over and pushed it all into the makeshift bag.

After that, Seven went directly to the similar table by each crew members bed and took whatever was there. O'Donnell, Jarvis, Torres, Paris, Kim, Gerron, Chell, Tabor. A small snapshot of each individual, each unique personality, as she made her way through the rooms and grabbed what she could. All these individuals. All these friends. A sense of melancholy nearly overwhelmed her at the thought that the _Val Jean_ would soon be assimilated and likely destroyed. The _Val Jean_, her home. She had made it through half of the rooms when Chakotay rejoined her.

"I've completed this corridor," Seven explained, her voice thick with emotion, and noting the bag Chakotay was holding added, "I've found it expedient to simply take whatever is on the tables by each bed. We can sort it out later."

"What do we have left?"

"The two starboard corridors," Seven responded. "You take the one forward, and I'll take this one."

They moved off quickly, but then Picard's voice came over the comm. "_Away team, it's not going well. We have perhaps a minute before we'll have to retract the shields_."

"_We have the core_," B'Elanna replied. "_We're bringing it back to the cargo bay and away from the warp core for transport_."

"We'll be right there," Chakotay said and went into the next room.

He was finishing the last when Picard came back on. "_Away team, get to the transport coordinates immediately_!"

Chakotay and Seven nearly leaped down the central shaft to the lower deck and quickly joined the others. Seska was holding the computer core in her arms. Suddenly, Chakotay turned towards Seven's quarters in the back of the cargo bay. "Seven, we forgot about your things!"

Seven wrapped her free arm about Chakotay's waist and replied, "I have what I need."

"_Now Chakotay_," Picard said over the open comm. "_We've run out of time_!"

"Energize!" Chakotay called back.

It was a longer transport than usual, but eventually the four of them rematerialized back on the _Enterprise_. Seska was the first to step off the pad, holding the _Val Jean_'s computer core, and placed it down carefully on the deck. The four of them exchanged looks of relief and then started to follow.

"A moment," Picard said, holding up his hand.

"_Bridge to Transporter Room Three,"_ Riker called over the comm. "_Captain, did you get them_?"

"They're in the pattern buffer Number One," Picard responded cryptically and motioned for them all to stay quiet. "I'm trying to retrieve them now. Release the _Val Jean_, retract the shields, and go to warp."

"_Aye Captain_."

When the comm channel was closed, Chakotay asked, "What's that all about?"

"I'm buying time," Picard responded. He stepped out from behind the transporter controls and approached the pads. "I have a shuttlecraft hidden in a sensor shadow off the port stern. It is mirroring our trajectory, even at warp. I could beam you and Seven there and then say you were lost in the transport back from the _Val Jean_."

"For what purpose?" Seven asked.

"You don't understand," Picard said with a frown. He turned away, as if embarrassed. "Star Fleet Command is interested in your nanoprobe reprogramming. I'm afraid when we do get to Starbase Twelve, you would likely be sequestered by Star Fleet Research and not let go. The fact that you were once a Borg drone will not serve you well. I… apologize for my callousness from earlier Seven. I let my prejudice against the Borg, and against the Maquis, affect my views. The Borg is a real threat, and Star Fleet is particularly worried. Regardless, I will not risk or allow more of your life to be stolen from you because of the Borg or Star Fleet Command."

Picard was giving them a chance to escape. A chance at a new start. But if the threat was real, perhaps she should go willingly to Star Fleet Research to help? She knew all too well the horrors of the Borg. Then a thought occurred to her. "T'Vora holds the key Captain," Seven responded. "Ask her to continue her research. I believe she can help."

Picard brightened, and he nodded vigorously. "I will, but time is of the essence. Let me beam you to the shuttlecraft. Let me give both of you a chance to disappear and start afresh."

"Wait!" Seska said. She stepped back towards Seven and Chakotay. "Let me go as well."

"Seska," Picard replied. "You and the rest of the Maquis are covered by the amnesty. When we get to Starbase Twelve, you are free to go wherever you wish."

Seska shook her head. "You don't understand. There's no future for me here. There's no place for me."

"Your Cardassian heritage is irrelevant," Picard countered. "Your secret is safe."

Seska looked at Picard surprised. B'Elanna then stepped up to Seska and placed her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "We'll figure something out," B'Elanna said. "You won't be alone."

Seska turned to face B'Elanna and then nodded and stepped back.

"It's time," Picard said and moved back to the controls. He paused and then looked up at Chakotay and Seven who were still on the transporter pads. There was something else. "One last thing," he said haltingly. "There was a Bajoran Star Fleet officer who joined the Maquis, Ro Laren."

"I know Laren," Chakotay replied.

A multitude of emotions played out across Picard's face. "She's one of the Maquis who has never been accounted for. If you do run into her. If you do find her. Tell her… Tell her I miss her. Would you do that for me?"

"Of course," Chakotay replied, and then to B'Elanna and Seska, "when the time is right, tell the rest what happened to us." He took the bag off his shoulder and tossed it beside the computer core and Seven did the same with the makeshift bag she was carrying. "The two of you are now the leaders of the remaining _Val Jean_ crew. Wait for a message from us. We'll all meet again soon."

Picard adjusted the controls. "Good luck Captain," he said, and then both Chakotay and Seven dematerialized and were gone.

#

The dealer circled the shuttlecraft one last time. He was an older Ferengi, and he fidgeted as he regarded the vessel. "True, it's in… _fair_ condition," he mused. "But it will be difficult for me to resell without the proper documentation. I don't see the profit in that."

A man and woman stood close to one another off to the side. Both were dressed casually. The man had dark hair with a touch of gray at the sides and a tattoo extending from his hairline out onto one of his temples. He was soft spoken and sturdily built. The woman was tall and statuesque with fair skin and a shock of short blonde hair. Above one of her eyes was a metallic silver device, and one of her hands was encased in a similar web like glove.

"The trade we're asking for is worth half as much," the man replied evenly. "We can always go somewhere else."

"You'll be getting a bigger ship," the dealer protested and appeared agitated. Both the man and woman were unmoved. The dealer realized they wouldn't be swayed by his machinations. He rubbed one of his lobes in thought, and then said, "OK, OK, you've got yourself a trade."

The man nodded satisfactorily and extended his hand to the dealer. The dealer looked puzzled for a moment, but then reached out and shook the man's hand. It was a strange custom of these hu-mans.

"And what names should I put on the bill of sale?" the dealer asked. "Of course, you will be given the requisite papers and it will be all well documented and legitimate."

"Marius and Cosette Pontmercy, of Dorvan Five," the woman responded.

The Ferengi paused and looked up with curiosity. "Dorvan Five, you say," a question in his voice. He paused for a moment, and then continued more thoughtfully. "I once lived on a planet along the border between Federation and Cardassian space. I was forced out." The dealer dawdled a bit more, and then added. "A tragedy, Dorvan Five. My condolences. None of the planetary records were saved, so I understand."

The man nodded.

The dealer seemed to consider something. "In circumstances such as this," he finally said, "I can often help in obtaining a new set of papers to replace those that were lost. If you are interested."

"That would be lovely," the woman responded.

The dealer nodded. "Let me go and see to that then," he said with a smile. He then turned to the man and added, "About that other matter you asked of before. Perhaps I do have some information that might help you find what you are looking for."

When the dealer had left, the man turned to the woman with a bemused look. "Marius and Cosette? From Hugo's Les Misérables?"

"It is fitting," the woman countered, a slight upturn at the corner of her lips. "I was separated from my parents, being raised by a cruel family, when _Val Jean_ saved me. I was then nurtured and grew into an individual in the comfort of _Val Jean_'s care, and finally fell in love with a revolutionary. You Marius."

"Ah. In one adaptation, a revolutionary who cared more about the founding principles and ideals of the government, and was willing to give everything away to fight against the government for those ideals. And then he met this girl…"

The woman raised an eyebrow, as she was apt to do when intrigued by a suggestion.

The man reached out and took the woman's hand. "And so, Cosette, my love. _Val Jean_ is now gone. It appears we'll soon be joined on paper, but I wish to make that a more official union as soon as we are able."

The woman blushed and smiled coyly. "Oh my dear Marius. That is my desire as well."

#

THE END

Author's note: And so now there's only one more Alternatives AU to go. Before I move on to that story, however, I'm thinking of writing another C/7 story(ies) that have a common theme and will serve as an epilogue or prologue or something in between for each of the different "Alternatives" AUs and the "That Good Night" post-Endgame universe. If there are loose ends in any of those timelines, or something you'd like to be included, speak up now so I can include them.

This was a fun story to write. Most everyone from this story will return for one last one-shot or chapter and we'll find out what happens after several months in the Alpha Quadrant when the crew of the late ship _Val Jean_ are reunited again on or near Bajor.

And finally, thank you scifiromance, The Cheshire Cheese, Alaster Boneman and Holta for your reviews of the last chapter. They do serve as encouragement to write the next. And to all those who reviewed, followed or favorited this story or my previous stories, THANK YOU! (And thank you lizzy74656 - I corrected Darvon to Dorvan!)


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